Viking vs Vampire
by AoifeNZ
Summary: Inspired by DTTW, but the stranger Sookie picks up is a living Viking mysteriously transported through time and space. With Bill finally out of the picture, Eric now faces his toughest competition for Sookie yet - himself. Which Eric will Sookie choose?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This story is somewhat AU, but you can mostly assume that everything from the books remains true unless contradicted by something in the story.

I am sorry but I have not done any research about Vikings, past finding out a bit about clothing. I don't plan on getting caught up in the historical elements, particularly as this is all set in the present day, not in the Viking age. So please excuse historical inaccuracies.

My beta is BathshebaRocks, and her advice and wording suggestions were a huge contribution - so thanks Inge!

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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It was a clear, frosty night in the middle of winter, and I was driving home from my late shift at Merlotte's, the bar where I work. I laughed darkly to myself as my little car made a particularly strained noise in its struggle to get us home. It didn't seem healthy to be laughing to myself over the clusterfuck that was my life at the moment, but maybe it had all pushed me over the edge, and I was now officially crazy. At least my poor car didn't have to contend with the potholes in my driveway anymore, thanks to... Well, that's part of my problem.

I was so sick of everything supe-related. It really amazed me to remember there had been a time when life was normal; when I never imagined that any of the crap I've gotten myself caught up in recently could happen. I started painting this pretty picture in my head about the good old days, and thought about how everything could go back to that if I just cut all ties with the supe community. But then I had to go and spoil it all by having a moment of sanity, admitting that I was just bullshitting myself, excuse the language. It certainly wasn't all rainbows and lollipops before I found out about the country's ... other citizens. I didn't want to go back to being the only freak. I liked that my telepathy was valued by some, rather than being seen as a disability, the way I always thought of it. I had just started to think of myself as something more than a crazy hick waitress - and why shouldn't I? Hello, I can read minds!

Plus it wouldn't be as easy as it sounded to cut supes out of my life. I mean one obvious problem would be Sam, my boss and also my good friend. I'd have to make an exception for him. Then there was the even more difficult issue of Eric. Eric Northman, owner of Fangtasia, Vampire Sherriff of Area 5 and, according to him, my would-be lover. He was of course the most mind-blowingly gorgeous man I'd ever seen. I felt a mixture of shame and excitement remembering just how much of him I had seen. He had done a lot for me – reciprocated of course – and I would be forever grateful for his latest gesture, when he arranged to have my driveway repaved. I had begun to think that maybe we could even be friends, despite the fact that he could be a complete ass at times. At the back of my mind was the thought that in a dangerous world I might one day need him. I was pretty sure that he would be there for me if I was ever in serious trouble, and I guess I would be there for him in the unlikely event that he needed me. So cutting him out of my life may not be possible, or desirable.

I decided that one in the morning, on my way home from a grueling shift at Merlotte's, was not the best time to re-evaluate my life. New Year's Eve is so not a good night to be working at a bar and exhaustion was just starting to kick in when I was startled by the sight of a running figure at the edge of my headlight's reach.

I was almost home and, given I live out in the middle of nowhere, it seemed a strange place for a person to be. It was certainly a strange looking person. I could tell that it was a man, dressed in a very rough looking tunic, a rather rudimentary belt, trousers, and tall boots; although they didn't look like anything you'd get at Macy's.

I raised my eyebrows as I noticed there was also a scabbard bouncing by his hip. His very pale, long blond hair was quite messy, but not greasy, and swirled around his head as he ran. If it was any other night, I would have been even more alarmed, but I figured he may have been to a fancy dress New Year's party - although that still didn't explain why he was running around in the middle of the night near my house.

I slowed right down to get a good look. This allowed him to pull away from me - he really was quite the speedster, and didn't seem to be tiring. I sped up again, thinking, slightly reluctantly, that I should find out whether he needed any help.

As I stepped on the gas, my car groaned at me again, and I was beyond shocked by the man's reaction. Throwing a wild look over his shoulder, he saw I was catching up, and his look turned to fierce determination before he spun around completely and pulled out his sword. This was no joke store cheap plastic affair. It was at least four foot long, with an elaborately carved handle. The way he held it suggested it was also very heavy. Then he charged towards my car yelling. I tried to stop the car, reverse, and speed up all at the same time. My sudden stop, combined with the even-more-so-than-usual tortured screech of my car, brought the stranger himself to an abrupt halt. I noticed he kept his sword ready, and his whole body was tensed for action.

It was as I stared at him, both of us wide-eyed and panting, that I noticed he was not, in fact, a stranger. It was the very same vampire who had occupied my thoughts only moments earlier - Eric! I could not believe my eyes for a moment. Was this his idea of a joke, dressing up as a Viking for the Fangtasia New Year party, and then coming out to Bon Temps to try to scare me? Okay, to succeed in scaring me – whatever.

A deep scowl formed on my face as I waited for him to start laughing at me, or trying to seduce me, or both. But he just stood there motionless, eyes wild and totally focused on me, with his sword held across him. My anger went up a notch at this. I do TRY not to be a complete wet blanket, so I tried to appreciate that he was just having a joke, but enough is enough. He didn't need to stay in character while I sat in my car fuming - not to mention, as he dragged this out he was keeping me from my well earned rest after a fairly unpleasant day.

I got out of my car, wanting to be standing toe to toe with him while I gave him a piece of my mind. Eric reacted by leaping back slightly, and pointing his sword towards me, his eyes shifting back and forth between the car and I. Just as I took a breath to speak I heard -

_...Can I take her head off before her tame beast attacks, or should I deal with the beast first?... _

"Ohmygodwhatthehell!" I shrieked, jumping back, hopefully out of reach of his sword.

As I tried to process what was happening, Eric narrowed his eyes and rushed forward with a roar. I closed my eyes and screamed, hunching my shoulders, as if that would keep my head attached to them. Instead of the sound of a blade swishing through the air in the direction of my neck, I heard a loud CLANG, and a grunt. I opened my eyes to see that Eric had buried his sword in the hood of my car, and was now trying to pull it out again.

The whole thing was just so bizarre that I temporarily lost the ability to speak – or even to think, so I just stood and watched. Still struggling with his sword, Eric threw a frantic look back at me, and seeing I wasn't moving, he renewed his efforts. Finally the sword came free, and he immediately set about swiping at the front and side of the metal frame of my little car, yelling and leaving large dents and scratches.

It was all too much, and I collapsed onto my knees, a few tears squeezing out of the corner of my eye. "Eric, stop, please."

For a wonder, Eric actually stopped his frenzied attack on the car, and turned to look at me with surprise and distrust written all over his face. "You know my name woman? Did you bring me here?"

_...The beast appears to be dead, I should kill this strangely-dressed woman too, especially as she knows something..._

I just couldn't bear any more of this weird episode, and his thoughts and the way he was looking at me filled me with dread and helplessness. My tears increased and I sobbed out "Please don't kill me Eric..."

He wasn't making any move towards me and I tried to get a hold of my tears before continuing, "Of course I know your name, but I didn't bring you here, I have no idea why you're here. I don't understand what's happening, this is all just too weird, but please, I don't want to die."

He suddenly lowered his sword and stepped towards me. I sobbed and tried to scoot away from him on my hands and knees. He sighed and dropped his sword altogether, and then moved even closer, stopping just in front of me and holding his hand out. I looked up at him fearfully, and he growled lightly under his breath before pulling me up roughly. I stood frozen to the spot, shaking, while he stood back slightly and ran a hand through his hair.

"I won't hurt you. I'm sorry for frightening you, I don't... I don't usually attack women but..." his eyes searched mine frantically, as though looking to me for answers to this crazy situation. "Woman", he finally continued, "something terrible has happened to me, something which I don't understand. You somehow know my name, but you say you don't understand this any better than I do. I ... don't know what to do."

He hung his head as he said this last bit, his hair falling forward around his face, and I could see that the admission shamed and unnerved him. Suddenly I wanted to comfort him, and I tentatively reached out to take his hand. To my astonishment it was warm, and I pulled my hand back as if burnt.

While Eric looked at me, confused and maybe a little offended, I put together a few things I hadn't had the luxury of noticing until now. Not only did he feel warm to the touch, his skin was flushed and, most alarming of all, I had heard his thoughts twice. I stared into Eric's eyes, which mirrored my own turmoil, then reached up and placed my hand flat on his chest. I gasped as I felt his heart beat, strong and steady, and my own sped up.

"Eric..." I breathed out softly, "what happened to you?"

His face darkened as he replied, "I have been abducted by someone who wields strong magic... It is the only explanation. I was in my village bedding a particularly lively serving wench, and then suddenly I was ... here. Wherever here is. I had not been here for long when I heard your metal beast coming for me," at this point he looked at my car, and then eyed me nervously. "I assumed it had come to kill me or capture me for whoever brought me here."

It took me a while to figure out how to respond. My emotions were jumping about from embarrassed at his reference to his previous activity to downright horrified. I settled for horrified. "What village - you're not talking about Shreveport? And why don't you know who I am? More importantly, why are you _human_?"

"Aren't you?" Eric asked, clearly alarmed.

"Yes, I am, but you're not." Now he looked at me as though I was crazy, and ok, that seemed justified, so I stayed quiet while I waited for more answers.

"I don't know anything about this Shreveport, I speak of the village my family and I live in, where my father is chief. I do not know you because I have never seen you before - in fact I have never seen anyone who even dresses like you before. I would very much like to know how _you_ seem to know _me_."

Well I certainly got more than I bargained for with that answer. This was no joke. Somehow, Eric had apparently been turned into a human and forgotten his entire life as a vampire, and now he thought he was still a Viking living in the 1000s, or whenever it was Eric was human originally.

We were generating more questions than answers here, and the side of the road in the middle of the night in winter was not my preferred place for such a headache-inducing conversation.

"Eric, I think I'm starting to understand some things here..." Okay, that was a huge lie, but I was perhaps less clueless than him, "and I will really try to explain some of it to you later, but I don't think we should stay here right now. In the mean time you're just going to have to accept that a lot of people around here know you, even though you don't seem to know them."

Eric looked rebellious for a moment, and it was such a vampire-Eric look that my heart hurt for him just a little bit. Then he nodded his acceptance. "If we do not stay here, where should we go? Am I to go with you?"

I really didn't like where this was going, as it was clear I was going to have to take him back to my house, at least for now, and I really didn't need this huge complicated mess landing in my lap at this point in my life. But I _had_ just thought to myself that I would be there for Eric if he needed me. "I think that would be best, don't you? We'll go to my house, and then we can decide our next move. How's that?"

Eric nodded again, and I sighed in some relief - I certainly couldn't compel him to come with me, and I hated to think of what a scared and angry Viking would get up to running around Bon Temps.

I turned to my car and eyed it doubtfully - I really wish we could have come to an understanding _before_ Eric decided to vanquish my poor defenseless vehicle.

Eric seemed to be following my line of thought, as he peered at the car with a guilty expression, and apologised. "I'm sorry about your beast."

I told him not to worry because really, I could understand how a car could look seriously threatening to him.

I was very pleased to see there really wasn't that much damage when I lifted the hood. Eric had been watching this whole operation with little expression - I suppose it was a bit beyond his comprehension, poor man. However, he broke into a slight smile when I told him he hadn't hit anything vital. That quickly changed though to a look of concern, as he questioned me intently, "where should I aim in future, if I come across one which is hostile? I did not know where its organs were."

I tried, I mean really tried, not to laugh, because it really wasn't funny, or fair to him. A slight giggle might have escaped though. I thought about the best way to explain about cars to him, and felt daunted by the huge subject that was modern technology.

"This is another thing you're just going to have to accept for the moment," I settled for, "but this beast as you call it is a car, and it is neither alive nor hostile. Anyway, a sword is really not going to be very effective against cars. Just try to stay out of their way."

He looked relatively accepting of this, so I thought it was an opportune moment to give him a related lesson. "People here have things called machines, including cars, which come in all shapes and sizes. They are things which aren't alive, and do things for us which we can't do, or at least can't do as easily by ourselves. Basically complex tools - like your sword, but with more parts."

I looked closely to see if he was following, and he was again nodding gravely. Either he sort of got what I was trying to say, or he was just nodding so I'd shut up and stop confusing him. Well, thank goodness Eric had always had a lot of intelligence, so maybe some of this was getting through to him.

Then he surprised me - "This... car... is a machine which moves you around, like a boat, and it will take us to your house?"

I felt like a proud parent and beamed at him stupidly. "That's just right Eric! So let's go then!"

After he'd retrieved his sword, I led Eric around to the passenger seat, and he got in without too much fuss, despite the tight fit. Although he was better dressed for the cool temperature than I was, he was hunched in on himself and almost vibrating with nervous energy. I wanted to do something for him, so I went to the trunk to grab a blanket - I know, hopelessly inadequate, but it was the best I could come up with. When I offered it to him he immediately wrapped it around himself and snuggled into it up to his chin, smiling in thanks, so I felt like I had done some good at least.

I had a tricky moment when I debated with myself whether to insist he wore his seatbelt. I knew it wouldn't fit round him in his current position, and I wasn't sure how I'd explain the necessity. I decided we'd spent enough time hanging around by the side of the road, and I'd just drive slowly - there wasn't much further to go anyway.

As the car started up, Eric gasped and grabbed the dashboard with both hands, and then gradually relaxed as the car started moving. He shot me a sheepish grin, "I'd forgotten how loud the car is." he said, before turning his face forward to stare intently at the road ahead.

I hadn't heard any thoughts from him since the unfortunate incident by the side of the road, and I was suddenly curious as to how well I could read him. Feeling a bit guilty I reached my mind out to his, planning to pull back as soon as I'd gauged how my telepathy worked on him - I'm no eavesdropper... most of the time anyway.

I confirmed my earlier suspicion that he wasn't as easy to read as most humans. There was some kind of break between where I was listening to his mind, and where his thoughts were actually happening, if that makes sense. It was like leaning against a wall to hear people talking in the next room, and then realising that the conversation was actually going on in a different room, so that only snatches of it came through the wall.

Before I got too far wondering about this phenomenon I realised that his emotions at least were coming through loud and clear. Now that I was concentrating on them I was engulfed in his confusion, anger, fear and – helplessness. The idea of vampire-Eric feeling helpless was just so wrong, I found myself reaching out to touch him without even thinking about it, compelled to offer some comfort. I rested my hand on his shoulder, and he moved into it slightly. His negative emotions slackened off, overtaken by a wave of relief and gratitude, before the fear came back again.

As we moved up my lovely smooth driveway I almost thanked Eric before I realised how much that would confuse him. Eric was looking up at my house in amazement. "Is your father or brother the chief of this area?"

"No!" I giggled, imagining 'Chief Jason' (I really didn't want to get into the father issue right now).

"You are a servant then?" he looked surprised.

I realised the problem and sighed, another thing I would have to explain - and we'd been going so well. "No, I am not a servant either. This is my house, and I live here alone. Before you ask, no I am not a chief; a lot of people live in houses like this."

Eric was nodding, trying to understand. "Like many people have machines to do things for them, they also have these immense, well-constructed homes? This is a very rich land."

I tried awkwardly to give him an honest answer. "Compared to what you're used to, and to many other lands, yes, it is rich here... But many people would disagree with you, as life here can still be a struggle."

He absorbed that before asking another question I'd been anticipating. "Why do you live alone? Is there no one left to provide for you? Do you have no village?"

"Eric, I understand things are different where you are from, but I don't need anyone to provide for me, I provide for myself. My – village is very spread out; most of us live alone, or in small groups, in houses like this one."

"And these people help you to produce food, and clothes, and provide warmth in the winter, and protect you from raiders?"

I was becoming increasingly frustrated, but trying hard not to show it - it wasn't his fault. "Like I said, I provide for myself, although getting food and clothes and warmth is easier here than where you are from. The only exception is protection against raiders - they are rare, and in very small groups, often alone, and the whole village works together against them."

Again he paused while absorbing this new information. "This, then, is why you wear such strange clothes - you have to make them yourself, and you are not very good at it?"

"Actually, many people wear clothes like this" I choked out, trying not to be offended. I didn't correct him regarding the source of my clothing - I really didn't see the point in getting into the subject of shopping and money right now. Eric looked doubtful, but wisely chose not to comment further on my fashion sense.

I stopped the car and got out, waiting for him to join me before I locked up and headed towards my front door. Eric trailed a little behind, his gaze flicking over everything, the house, the woods, the driveway, and back again. "It is eerie, all this quiet in a place that is inhabited. I keep expecting to hear people nearby, or in the house, though I know I won't."

I felt a little pain in my chest, as he hit upon something I often think myself. "Yes, it's not always nice to live alone. I lived with my Gran but... she's gone now."

He nodded sympathetically, but I felt no pity from him - I supposed he was used to death. He suddenly caught up with me as I opened the door, eager to get inside. His eyes widened and his smile was almost child-like. "This is amazing, and so warm. I can't believe how big it is. And all these strange objects in your house are machines?" I suddenly felt embarrassed by my wealth - a ridiculous thought.

"Yes, I have a lot of machines here; I will show you some of them later. For now, come and sit with me in the living room and we'll talk about your situation."

Eric's face closed down again, as he suddenly recalled why he was here, the distraction my house had provided now forgotten. He followed me and sat down when I did, barely glancing at the sofa, which I'm sure he was fascinated by. It was clear he meant business now.

I decided to start, as I seemed to know a little more about the situation than him. "I'd really rather not go into how I know you just yet – Until we can figure out why you're here, and why you're in the state you're in, I think it would just confuse you more. Besides, I'm really not sure how to explain it. The only thing I can think to do is call some of the other people who know you - know you much better than I do - and maybe they can explain to us what is going on."

Eric's face darkened, and he growled out, "no, you will explain what you know now, I have been patient."

He suddenly seemed very much the vampire-Eric I was used to, and I gulped, looking at his sword attached to his belt, which I'd temporarily forgotten. Don't ask me how I forgot something like that, I'd been having a pretty full-on evening you know. Was I really going to try reasoning with an angry, barely-controlled, sword-wielding man? Yeah, I was.

"Please Eric, I am really in the dark here too, and I honestly don't know you all that well. I'd like to call people who do know you very well, and hopefully they will be able to explain this whole situation to us – far better than my attempts to make sense of this, anyway."

I looked at him pleadingly, holding my breath – I wasn't entirely confident in my ability to get through the conversation he wanted to have while retaining my head. While I thought we'd got past that stage, telling Eric that he was actually a thousand year old vampire who lusted after me would very likely cause a regression in our relationship.

"Very well, call them now."

I exhaled in relief – he didn't look happy, but he didn't look homicidal either. He followed me as I got up and walked to the kitchen. When I stopped by the phone, I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder and looked back into his suddenly suspicious eyes. "Do you not have to go outside to call them? Surely they will not hear you calling from inside this house?"

"Sorry, I should have explained – I have a machine to call them from here. They actually live quite far away."

Thanks to our earlier conversation about machines, this answer seemed to mollify him. He took his hand off my shoulder and stood back, still watching me carefully.

I felt nervous all over again as I picked up the receiver. I desperately hoped that Pam would have a good explanation for us. More importantly, I did not look forward to explaining the situation to her if she _wasn't_ aware of Eric's condition. If I thought trying to explain myself to Eric could prove fatal, then what would his devoted vampire child do to me?

As the phone rang, I went through possible conversations in my head, trying to work out how to approach the subject. The phone rang longer than usual, before being answered by a frazzled sounding woman. "Fangtasia, the bar with bite, can I help you?"

"I need to speak to Pam, please."

"Sorry, it's not a good time; the vamps around here are real riled up tonight."

Before she could hang up I instructed her in my firmest voice, "Tell Pam it's Sookie, and it's very important. She will want to talk to me."

Suddenly there were muffled noises from the other end of the phone, and an unexpected voice answered me.

"Sookie," came the smooth male tone – I could almost hear the accompanying smirk, "Are you calling to thank me for the driveway?"

"SHIT!" My hands turned to jelly, and the phone clattered to the kitchen floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I was really excited by the response to my first chapter. As I have never published a story before I wasn't sure what to expect, and it was a really pleasant surprise - so thanks everyone for the reviews and alerts.

Thanks again to my Beta, BathshebaRocks, for the great job she did with this chapter, and for her encouragement and advice. I really appreciate it.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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It was surreal hearing Eric yelling at me from the abandoned phone at the same time as the Eric in my kitchen warily asked if I was ok. The voice from the telephone abruptly stopped for a moment before starting up again even louder. I gingerly picked the phone up again, treating it as though it may explode in my hand at any moment, and put my ear to the receiver.

I heard the end of Eric's tirade, "Sookie! Pick the phone up at once and tell me who is there with you!"

Not entirely sure which one I was speaking to, I tentatively asked "You ARE Eric, right?"

"Yes!" they both replied at the same time, vampire-Eric sounding the more frustrated. He immediately started growling softly down the phone.

"Why do you have a man in your house in the middle of the night speaking Swedish and calling himself Eric?"

"How are you at Fangtasia berating me at the same time as standing in my kitchen staring at me with a shifty expression?" I shot back. "And he's not speaking Swedish, he's speaking English."

Eric was almost snarling now. "There's a strange vampire in your house who somehow appears as me? I don't like this situation at all. Rescind his invitation IMMEDIATELY, do you understand me? I will be there soon." He hung up before I could even explain that human-Eric was, well, human.

Then the implications of what vamp-Eric had said hit me, and I spun around to gape at Eric in horror. Was he some kind of supernatural creature who had made himself look like Eric to trick me? Was that why I couldn't read his mind properly? Now he stood not a metre away from me, and I couldn't even rescind his invitation as vamp-Eric suggested, because whatever he was, he certainly wasn't a vampire.

I started edging backwards, scrambling around with my hands to find something, anything, with which to defend myself if I had to. Thank god Mr High-Handed-Vampire would be here soon; maybe I could hold out against this creature for that long at least. Yeah right, I would take on his sword and magical appearance-changing abilities armed only with a kitchen implement. This didn't look good.

The object of my terror suddenly lurched forward and grabbed my upper arm, shaking it slightly. "Woman, what is wrong, what did the people you called say to scare you so?"

I pulled away from him and darted away to put the table between us. "Did you use magic to look like Eric? What do you want from me?"

Comprehension dawned for him. "Woman, I swear I have been completely honest with you. I don't have any magic, I am the same person I have always been. I don't know you, and the only thing I want from you is assistance in understanding what has happened to me, and how to undo it. I'm not going to hurt you."

He reached his hand out across the table, and I tentatively reached out my own to meet it. It felt strange to suddenly be the one receiving comfort and reassurance, whereas before I had been trying to convince him to trust me. As soon as I put my hand in his, I felt his sincerity, and felt safe again.

We stayed like that a moment longer, smiling and becoming comfortable with one another again. Then I remembered we had an angry vampire headed our way at top speed, and I hurriedly dropped his hand.

"Eric we have a problem."

"Yes, but we knew this already?"

"This is another, more urgent problem. The reason I know you... he's coming to see us. And he's very angry."

Eric bristled. "I can protect myself, and you. Do you really expect me to run scared from a mere man, when I have been transported to a strange world by magic? It is good that he is coming here now, he can explain, as we wanted."

After the fact that our visitor would be his thousand year old self, describing vampires was next on my impossible-things-to-explain list. But obviously I would have to give it a go. "That's the thing. He's not a 'mere man', he's something more than that."

Eric looked less assured now. "He is powerful? He may have been the one who brought me here?" His expression switched to grim determination, and he gripped his sword hilt.

This had to be nipped in the bud, as I really didn't want to witness vamp-Eric's reaction to being attacked by his mortal self. "No! I really don't think so. He doesn't have that kind of power. He's just super fast, and strong, and he heals fast, and he can fly. Trust me, you have zero chance of even touching him with that, let alone actually doing any damage."

Eric hmphed, obviously offended by my lack of faith, but he took his hand off his sword and relaxed somewhat, which is what I'd wanted. "How should we prepare for him then?" he asked.

"Well he and I are almost friends sometimes. He's really coming here to protect me, so he won't do anything to hurt me. I think if we can get him to calm down and listen to our explanation, he will help us."

"Do we have an explanation? I thought that's what we wanted from him?"

Oh dear, this was way too confusing for this time of night, but he had a point. "I think we all have some parts of the puzzle, and if we talk together, we can possibly piece it together."

"Alright. How do we make this man talk with us when he can apparently kill me as soon as look at me, and plans on doing just that?" He quirked an eyebrow at me and smiled wryly, and I realised he was actually making fun of the situation. I guess that Northman sense of humour and confidence didn't just come from being super-human.

"We have one advantage over him – he can't come in unless I invite him. He will have to stay outside and hear me out, and he can't hurt you as long as you stay inside." I knew I had already uninvited him, but I really wanted to be sure about this, so I stated "Eric Northman, I rescind your invitation."

"He is called Eric too?"

How to explain that they shared more than a name? Maybe I would leave that for vamp-Eric to explain. "Yes, and there are... other similarities we can discuss when he arrives."

"I share similarities with this powerful being?" He nodded to himself. "This is why you thought I was not human."

I kept finding myself surprised by this Eric's perception. I would have to remember that just because he was not the all-powerful vampire I was used to, didn't mean he was mentally deficient. Clearly I had been hanging around supes too much, to have such low expectations of my fellow humans.

"Yes, I was expecting you to be like him, and so it came as a shock to me when I realised you weren't." Another potential danger occurred to me then. "Because you are human, he can glamour you – that is, hypnotise you so that you follow his instructions. It would be best if you stayed in another room, so that when he comes to the door he can't see you."

Eric scowled. "Not only must I stay in this house for protection, I must hide from him like a coward. I do not like this world." But ever practical, like his vampire self, he agreed to follow my advice.

"I'm sorry Eric, but I'll straighten things out with him just as quick as I can, and then I'll invite him in and we can all talk – you won't have to hide for long. You just don't appreciate how delicate you and I are compared to a being like Eric, and he has an awful temper. I said I would help you, and I meant it – that includes not letting you get killed by a vampire throwing a tantrum."

Eric was looking even more mutinous now – ok so maybe delicate was a bad word choice. "That is what this creature is called – a vampire?"

I nodded, and then gestured away from the door. "He will be here very soon, you should go. I will call you when I think it's safe. Whatever you do, don't look in his eyes."

He was still hesitating, and I was getting nervous now.

"You are sure you will be alright on your own, if he is so powerful and can enchant people? I will not leave you to face him alone if it will be dangerous."

I wanted to awwww at him, it was so sweet of him to want to protect me when we'd only just met – as far as he knew, anyway. But then I decided he was probably just being macho. And he certainly wouldn't appreciate any awwwing. So I just reassured him. "He can't hypnotise me – although I am human, I am a human with... extras you could say, and this protects me from his glamour. And he wouldn't harm me – at least, not unless he had a very good reason to." I realised this sounded a bit lame, but I was under no illusions that, as much as Eric wanted to keep me safe so that he could use both my telepathy and my body, these considerations could be outweighed by other interests.

Human-Eric didn't argue anymore, and once he'd left the room I opened the front door and stepped back, waiting. I didn't really feel in any danger from vampire-Eric, especially as he thought he was coming here to protect me, but getting close enough for him to pull me out of the house would just be asking for trouble.

I had not been waiting long when vamp-Eric appeared at the door, pressing up against the invisible barrier. He looked totally wild with his long hair all mussed-up from flight, and his fangs out. He was wearing his usual dark jeans, boots, and tight red Fangtasia t-shirt. "You are alright? Where is he?" he demanded

Although I had already worked out that there were now two Erics, I still had a bad moment when I saw the vamp version. It was one thing to know, in my head, that there were two of them, and a whole different thing to have the Eric I knew standing in front of me, clearly vampire and in possession of all his memories, while the human, and possibly mind-wiped, Eric sat in my living room.

Without waiting for my answer, Eric sniffed the air from my kitchen, his nostrils flaring. He narrowed his eyes at me. "There have been no vampires here. Why didn't you tell me he was human?"

This was enough to snap me out of it, and I rolled my eyes at him and crossed my arms. "You hung up before I could explain the situation."

Eric had noticeably relaxed since discovering that there were no vampires around and I was in one piece. "Hmph, yes, well, there was no time. Now let me in, I will deal with him quickly and we can move onto more _pleasurable_ matters. I believe you were going to thank me for the driveway." He waggled his eyebrows, trying to lean closer to me through the door.

"I will not be doing anything 'pleasurable' with you any time soon."

Eric just smirked, expecting such a response, and not the least bit deterred by it.

I continued, "I am not going to invite you in until you promise not to harm my guest. I called you so that you could help him, not rip him limb from limb."

Eric sneered. "Why do you imagine I would be interested in helping some human male... Especially one who is in your house in the middle of the night? If he has not harmed you then I will refrain from 'ripping him limb from limb'. But that is the only favour I will grant him, and he is lucky to get so much."

Now it was my turn to smirk. "I am absolutely positive, Eric, that you will want to help my guest when you find out who he is."

Eric was looking dangerous again, his flippant mood forgotten. "Ah yes, who is this mysterious male guest who calls himself Eric? Does he really look like me, or was that another miscommunication due to our phone call being unfortunately cut short?"

"You will find out when you meet him, and as I said, you're not coming in until you promise not to harm him."

"I'm afraid that's not a guarantee I can make until I assess the threat he poses."

I remained unmoved, waiting. Eric sighed and rolled his eyes. "Very well, I promise not to harm your pathetic human guest – it is not as if he could pose any real threat to me anyway."

I relaxed slightly, "See, you can be reasonable if you try. Come on in."

Eric stepped through the door, glancing around with a predatory expression. "I do so love the faith you have in me Sookie." Before I could react, he vanished into the other room, and I heard a crash, followed by snarling and yelling.

Cursing myself for a fool, I ran after him, screaming "don't kill him!"

Vamp-Eric had his human self pinned up against the wall, holding him by the throat. He had to hold his arm up higher than usual – this was one situation where he didn't have the advantage of height. If I hadn't been so terrified I might have appreciated the sight. Apart from the difference in clothes, and vamp-Eric's pale skin and fangs, they could have been the same person – they were the same person.

They both had incredibly pale blond hair, shoulder length and falling in a mane around their faces. They had the same cold blue eyes, positively icy at the moment with their mutual fury. They even had their lips curled in the same snarl – although vamp-Eric's expression was obviously more threatening, with the huge canines on display. However, that just made human-Eric's quiet bravery all the more impressive. Though he must have had trouble breathing, he simply locked eyes with the vampire and reached for his sword – a difficult feat in his position.

While a part of me was rooting for the plucky Viking, I really couldn't watch this situation continue. Before I could intervene though, vamp-Eric growled and ripped the Viking's scabbard from his hip, hurling it across the room.

I started to move again, fearing the inevitable result of this showdown. I had promised to help human-Eric and now he was in danger, thanks to me. Not to mention I wasn't sure what would happen to the vampire I was just starting to warm to if he killed the other Eric. "Eric, this is too ridiculous for words, you're not really going to kill yourself, are you?"

The vampire's stony gaze flicked to me for a moment, before focusing on his human self again. Much to my surprise, he lowered him to the floor, loosening his grip slightly. He then fired out a string of words in another language, and waited expectantly.

The Viking growled before replying "I have worked no magic on anyone, I have had something done TO me."

I spoke up to support him, "Eric he's telling the truth, I've checked." human-Eric looked confused, while the vampire simply nodded – he understood what I was telling him.

More strange words were fired at the Viking, though this time with slightly less hostility. I couldn't understand vamp-Eric's insistence on speaking another language, although his human self clearly understood him. The reply was more of what I already knew. "I was in my village, with a woman. Then I was here, on a road. She picked me up." He nodded his head in my direction.

Vamp-Eric finally released his human double and stepped back, crossing his arms, deep in thought. I had to interrupt – I was really hoping he had some answers for us. "Eric, how could there possibly be two of you now? Who would duplicate you, and then turn one of you human and wipe all his memories? How is that even possible, and for what purpose?"

The vampire sighed and rolled his eyes at me. "Clearly no one has made him human, and his memories are perfectly intact. I have not been duplicated; rather my human self has been moved through time. I do not understand the purpose, however."

Human-Eric was not taking this as calmly – I guess because he didn't have all of vamp-Eric's experience with the supe world. "I have been moved through time? This is not just a different land filled with strange people but a different_ time_?"

"That's impossible" I scoffed. Vamp-Eric only raised his eyebrow at me. Ok, so my explanation wasn't a whole lot more likely, and hadn't I learned a lot lately about just how much _was_ possible? Still, though - "He can't really be from a thousand years ago, he's been speaking English to me all this time." I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow right back at the smug vampire. Let's see him answer this one.

Instead of being stumped by my question, he looked even more smug. Before he could answer though, human-Eric spoke up for himself. "I have not been speaking anything but my own language. I don't know this 'English'."

While my face froze into what I'm sure was a fairly unattractive, deer in the headlights-type expression, vamp-Eric chuckled and drove home his point to me. "You see, _he _is speaking Swedish. And you are speaking English. But you understand each other. I don't know why, but obviously it is part of the spell. I too will speak English from now on, so that you can follow the conversation."

He said this as though it were a huge concession, and then continued. "He is definitely me. I didn't pick it up straight away, as I mistook it for my own scent in your house, but he smells like me – only human, and somewhat unwashed." He curled his lip a bit, then brightened. "But he certainly has my fighting spirit, and way with women." He preened, waiting for a response.

I looked at the Viking now, before saying anything. He appeared a little deflated, and my heart went out to him. I walked towards him and he closed the distance, reaching for my hand. I felt a little self-conscious in front of vamp-Eric, but I couldn't deny this man what little comfort I could provide, so I grasped his hand and squeezed it. "I'm sorry you've become such a jerk these days, is this making any sense to you?"

He smiled and chuckled a bit, while his vampire self snorted indignantly.

"I wouldn't say it's making sense to me – how could I be moved through time, and why would anyone do such a thing to me? But I do understand that I have come forward in time, and that this man – for lack of a better term – is also me. I understand that that this is why you thought you knew me when you saw me on the road, and it also explains why everything is so strange here. What I don't understand is how I have become a super-human 'vampire', and why I have not aged at all, if this is indeed the future. These questions greatly disturb me. How long has it been and what has happened in this time?"

As much as I hated to let the insensitive prick explain – what he had to say would surely be difficult for human-Eric to hear – I certainly couldn't tell the story of how Eric went from a twenty-something human Viking to a thousand year old, decidedly inhuman vampire. I just gripped his hand tighter, and smiled sadly.

As expected, the callous vampire had no problem coming out with it all at once. "I was turned into a vampire by my maker, another vampire, a little over one thousand years ago – I have not kept precise track of the years. From the look of you, this will happen to you soon. Or at least, if you are back where and when you should be, it will happen." This last thought obviously alarmed him, as he hissed a little and flicked his narrowed gaze around my living room, as if looking for the person responsible so he could force them to undo it.

The Viking looked just as disturbed, but for a different reason. "I will live for a thousand _years_? And I am to become a vampire soon – I have so little time left as a human? What does it mean to be a vampire, what will happen to my family?"

"Yes, you will live for at least a thousand years, and well past that, I sincerely hope – I am immortal. As a vampire, you will have to leave your family to fend for themselves. Deal with it, they are long dead anyway."

Human-Eric was looking less and less the proud, confident, warrior I was so used to. He stared into the distance, a lost look in his eyes. He dropped my hand and his arms hung limply by his sides, as he hunched in on himself. I knew Eric could be sweet, and he was often very patient with me. Why was he being so deliberately harsh – to himself, of all people?

As vamp-Eric sneered at his human self's dismay, the Viking suddenly straightened again, and faced up to the vampire with a steely expression. I wanted to clap. "What if I do not want to be a vampire?"

The vampire laughed scornfully. "It doesn't matter what you want. Do you think I _asked_ to be turned? You will have to get used to doing things you don't want to. It took me a long time to earn the right to be free."

Human-Eric was still looking mutinous, but the vampire continued, cutting off any further debate. "This is not important. Sookie is capable of answering your questions about vampires, and as to any further details of my life... I do not care to discuss it."

I spoke up before the Viking could – I knew Eric had a temper, and while he was too much of a survivalist to kill himself, I wouldn't put it past him to deliver a beating. "Eric that's not fair. He's been through a lot tonight and he's been coping really well. Now that he has been confronted with this knowledge he has a right to know how he will become a vampire, and what it will mean for him-"

I was interrupted by a hand on my arm, "Woman, I can speak for myself."

Vamp-Eric snarled at him. "You are not worthy to touch her. Her name is Sookie, treat her with some respect." Then he turned to me, his expression no softer. "He has no such right. We may be one and the same, but _he_ is still a worthless human, while I am an ancient and powerful vampire. I owe no one any explanations, least of all him."

Again with the strange hostility towards his human self. I really could not understand it. If I met a younger, more innocent version of myself, I would want to offer her comfort and advice – not antagonise her.

"She is right. I do not understand how even in a thousand years I could become as you are. I am greatly disturbed by it, and I will know how it is possible."

Then the vampire was in his face again, snapping his fangs at him. "EXACTLY" he roared. "You cannot possibly comprehend all that I have seen and done in my thousand years on this earth. You will not understand until you have lived it, as I have."

Then he stepped back, including me in his gaze. "Do neither of you understand that we have more urgent concerns now than comforting a grown man? If I am not in my village, at the right time, when my maker is meant to turn me, I will never become a vampire. Further, while I am here as a weak human I am vulnerable to my enemies. I must be protected." His eyes glowed with his urgency.

This didn't sound good at all. "You think him being here could affect the past?"

"I am positive of it – why else would anyone bother to bring me here?"

The thought of it made my head spin – what affect _could_ it have on the past, this man from a thousand years ago meeting himself in the future? A thought came to me. "Hasn't he already changed the past, though, by being here? Why don't you have any memory of travelling forward in time yourself? Surely, now, this has all happened to you too? You've met me before I came to Fangtasia with Bill – you've met me before you even became a vampire. Why don't you remember it?"

Human-Eric was nodding along with me, staring at his vampire self, waiting for an answer.

The vampire looked less certain of himself, for the first time tonight. "I do not know. I am not an expert on time travel. But I repeat – why would anyone bother to bring me forward in time if it could not affect the past? We will assume that anything that happens to him affects me. We cannot take the risk that this is not the case."

The Viking shrugged and nodded. I guess it didn't make much difference to him whether or not he changed the past, and at least this way he had the assistance and protection of one of the strongest beings in the country – himself. He wasn't entirely satisfied with vamp-Eric's answer though. "You keep saying someone did this on purpose. Should I take it that you know who?"

"I have a good idea, yes."

The Viking's expression grew dangerous, and he growled out, "then we must take vengeance, and make them undo it. Who are they, and where can we find them?" He had retrieved his sword while talking, and looked ready to head out the door.

Vamp-Eric moved instantly to block his path. "You're not going anywhere. I believe that witches did this, and I have no fucking idea where they are."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews and favourites so far. It's really encouraging to know how much people are enjoying my story, and I find your guesses and opinions really helpful.

Thanks again to my beta, BathshebaRocks - she does an awesome job.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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"What do you mean I'm not going anywhere?" human-Eric frowned in confusion. "We must find these witches, surely? Or have I become a coward, as well as a vampire?"

The vampire in question rolled his eyes, not rising to the insult. "_I_ will find those responsible and deal with the problem. _You_, however, will remain somewhere secure in the meantime. I will think about where is most suitable..."

"I will do no such thing! I am strong. I am skilled with my blade. I will accompany you and help to subdue those responsible."

Suddenly he was lying on the floor, vamp-Eric's boot on his chest. "First: you will do as I say, immediately, without questioning me. I will have your respect and obedience. Second: I do not need your help. Sookie would be more use to me than you, do you understand?"

The Viking eyed him reproachfully, but nodded. The vampire ground his boot in slightly, before stepping back so that human-Eric could get to his feet, still silent and stony-eyed.

Upset by the display, I shook my head in disgust, letting vamp-Eric see my disappointment and disapproval. He looked uncomfortable and deigned to give me the explanation which he clearly felt his own human self didn't deserve.

"As a human he is terribly vulnerable, and to make matters worse, he knows nothing of this world." He gestured to his human self derisively, "he is like a child; he is full of foolish ideas about bravery and honour, and desires nothing more than to die well in battle. He has no special gifts as you do to give him an edge. Nor does he have your understanding of vampires and other supernaturals, or of our politics. If he is not kept on a tight leash there is no telling what he will do – other than that it will be something extremely stupid. He would get himself killed in five minutes if I let him have his way. I cannot afford to have him fall into the hands of my enemies, either. So I may not be meeting your high standards of Southern hospitality, Sookie, but I must ensure he will follow my instructions without hesitation, for his own good as well as mine."

I had to admit, grudgingly, that he had a point. Vamp-Eric was brave too, and honourable in his own way, but he had the strength to back up his love of fighting, and he went into dangerous situations with his eyes open. I could imagine human-Eric stumbling into all kinds of trouble, swinging his sword around uselessly, and getting in way over his head. I was still angry about the rough treatment though, so I kept glaring at him as I asked, "Well, what are you going to do with him now, if you insist on treating him like a child? Apparently you can't let him out of your sight, yet you refuse to take him with you."

Evidently human-Eric had had enough of being talked about in this way, and he spoke up for himself, his fists clenched and his expression determined. "You may think me a pathetic creature, but I am not an idiot. Yes, I desire to hunt down my enemies myself, and if I die in the attempt at least it would be a death my people could be proud of. But if our enemies are indeed powerful enough to make a creature such as you cautious, then I am not going to throw my life away needlessly. You are right that I have no understanding of this world, and the many powerful beings who inhabit it. I will not go looking for trouble unprepared. You do not need to watch over me like an anxious nursemaid."

The vampire growled a little at his tone. "Watch how you speak to me." Then he apparently came to a decision. "Very well, I will leave you here for now. I must go, but I will be back tonight, and then I will decide what to do with you. In the meantime, stay inside at all times, and do as Sookie tells you."

The Viking scowled again, but clearly knew better, now, than to talk back to his vampire self. I had no such compunctions however. "Eric, wait! You're leaving him here? With me?"

Vamp-Eric stared at me for a moment with a tired expression. "Yes, Sookie. As I said, I must leave now. You have handled him well thus far, I am confident you will continue to do so."

"But where are you going? Why won't you be back until tonight?"

"I must return to Fangtasia. We were dealing with a minor crisis when you called, and Pam and Chow still need my assistance."

I remembered the human girl on the phone saying the vampires were 'all riled up', and realised this must be what she was referring to. "What kind of crisis? Can it really be more important than helping yourself return to the past where you belong?" I couldn't help my irritation creeping into my voice as I frowned at him.

"I very much hope that dealing with my little problem at Fangtasia will help solve our time travel issues as well. I believe them to be related."

I felt relief knowing that Eric _would_ be doing something constructive to help his human self, rather than just breaking up a cat fight between his waitresses, or something equally as trivial. I could tell human-Eric was somewhat appeased by this too, as he had relaxed considerably. I was curious though – "What exactly is this minor crisis you're dealing with at Fangtasia, and how does it relate to our situation here?"

"Those witches I mentioned; they were at Fangtasia yesterday making threats. They returned again this evening and there was an... altercation. One of them survived, and I need to question him before I go to my rest to find out if he knows anything we can use."

I shuddered a little, imagining what this 'questioning' would involve. Eric hadn't been very forthcoming though, so I continued to inquire, "What exactly do you mean by an 'altercation'? And why were they threatening you – did you do something?" I narrowed my eyes at him, sure this was all his fault somehow.

"There are not so many hours left before dawn, and you need no further information right now. If you really must satisfy your curiosity, I will allow you to question me further when I return with Pam tonight to make arrangements for our Viking. May I depart from your illustrious presence now, Miss Stackhouse, or are there further _services_ you require of me?" He quirked his eyebrow and leered at me, while human-Eric glanced between us curiously.

I huffed a bit, ignoring his innuendo. "What do you want me to do with him? How should I keep him safe?"

The vampire was smiling at my poor attempt to deflect his teasing. But he sounded serious when he instructed me, "Do not let him go outside while it is dark, do not let him leave the property under any circumstances, and _do not_ let anyone know he is here. There is no reason for anyone to think he is with you, so I am confident you can keep him out of trouble until tonight at least. Oh, and maybe you could clean him up a little? He smells revolting and looks like a savage."

The 'savage' growled and tensed up again, but I moved between the two Erics before they could take their mutual antagonism any further. "Ok well thanks for coming Eric, we'll look forward to seeing you tonight, Bye!" I trilled, my crazy grin stretched across my face.

"Goodbye for now, sweet Sookie. Viking – behave for Miss Stackhouse, there's a good boy."

Then he was gone, out into the night and on his way back to Fangtasia, presumably.

I turned to Eric, who was still looking tense and angry after his unpleasant confrontation with himself. I felt awkward. Before, I had been either trying to convince him not to kill me, or trying to protect him. Now, I didn't know how to act towards him. I felt like I knew him, as he was so much like his vampire self, and yet he didn't know me at all, and it was clear that in some ways he was very different to the Eric I knew.

I fell back on good old Southern hospitality – I couldn't believe I hadn't even offered him something to drink yet. Gran would have been ashamed of me. "Let me get you something to drink. Are you hungry at all?" I gushed, ushering him back into the kitchen.

Eric slumped into a chair with his arms splayed across the table, and I was reminded of the way vamp-Eric would sprawl out on his throne, filling up even more space than his large frame should have. "I ate well not long before coming here. However, I am very thirsty. A drink would be much appreciated... Sookie." He said my name as if trying it out. I suppose there weren't many Viking women going by the name Sookie, but he didn't comment on its strangeness.

I opened my mouth to ask him what he wanted, but closed it again when I realised I wouldn't have anything he was used to, except for water – and maybe milk? I thought for a moment while Eric watched me patiently. Well dang it, I would just have to offer him some of everything.

I set out a number of glasses in front of him, and he raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I am not quite that thirsty, though I thank you for your attentiveness."

I giggled, "no Eric, I don't think you need all this to quench your enormous thirst – I just don't know what to offer you, I'm sorry. I thought you could try everything I have here, and decide what you like best?"

"Ah, yes, that makes sense."

I went to the fridge and pulled out literally every liquid I had in there. When I placed my collection in front of Eric I had sweet tea, orange juice, 7up, milk, and even a bottle of beer from the stash I had for Jason. Eric eyed the whole operation sceptically while I filled each of his glasses. Then I filled another glass with some water and added that to the collection. "If you don't like any of this, you can have water – I'm sure that's something you're used to."

Eric picked up the glass of water and held it at eye level, peering through it so that his face looked all distorted. "Hm. You call this strange clear substance 'water'?"

I gaped at him, feeling panicky, and he threw his head back and roared with laughter. Eventually he put the glass of water back on the table and wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes. "Yes," he said, as he recovered himself, "I am used to water, we do have it where I come from."

I crossed my arms and glared at him, feeling stupid. He arranged his features to look suitably contrite. "I am sorry Sookie, I could not resist. I am deeply ashamed, please forgive me?" Then he grinned, and in that moment his intensely masculine beauty was almost painful to see. I gripped the table and concentrated on breathing, and his face took on a worried expression. That was a _little_ better.

Once I'd regained control of myself, I attempted to set his mind at ease. "Sorry about that, I'm ok now, you just took me by surprise with your, um..." I blushed, feeling flustered, "with your sense of humour, even after everything that's happened to you." Yes, that was a plausible explanation, well done Sookie. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back. "So, go on, see what you like."

Eric smiled again looking relieved if slightly confused, while I stared resolutely at the wall behind him. "It is difficult to feel too bad about my situation when I am being cared for by so lovely a woman." The way he just came out with the compliment was so honest and undemanding, so unlike vamp-Eric's loaded comments and innuendos, and I felt a strange squiggly sensation in my stomach. I couldn't help smiling back at him as he picked up the glass of sweet tea and took a sip.

He grimaced a bit and put the glass down, well away from himself. "It is interesting, but I will try something else." The orange juice was met with a similar reaction, although he looked slightly more thoughtful as he replaced it on the table – perhaps it would grow on him? Next he picked up the 7up, and brought it to his face cautiously, to sniff at it. He jerked back suddenly when it fizzed and spat at him, then he rubbed at his eye looking perplexed.

Now it was my turn to laugh, while Eric continued to squint at the glass suspiciously. "Go... ahead..." I panted through my giggles, "It's ... meant to do ... that."

So he tried again, only this time he didn't give it a chance to spit at him, taking a huge gulp and swallowing determinedly. His eyes went wide with shock and he started coughing and spluttering, while 7up dribbled out his nose. Oh dear... I was in absolute stitches now. I wish I had a camera phone so I could take a picture of the great Sherriff of Area 5 looking extremely disturbed, eyes watering, as he wiped at his nose.

"There is something wrong with this drink. It does not want to stay in its vessel, or in my belly."

When I had somewhat recovered from my laughing fit, I reassured him again. "There's nothing wrong with it, I promise, it's called a 'fizzy' drink – it's meant to behave like that."

"And yet people drink this deliberately?"

"Yes, because it's nice. Just drink it more carefully, you can't go gulping it like that."

With a long-suffering sigh, Eric brought the drink to his lips again, eyes closed in case of any further spitting incidents. He took a very small sip and swallowed carefully, then rolled his tongue around in his mouth, considering the flavour. His face lit up and he took a bigger sip, then started drinking in earnest, though being careful still – he had learned that lesson well.

"You are right," he said when he had finished, "it is a _very_ good drink." He looked towards my fridge hopefully.

"No more 7up for you" I giggled, "you haven't tried everything yet."

He made a face at me before gulping down some milk. He shrugged indifferently and replaced it on the table, before moving on to the beer. He brightened considerably when I warned him that this was another 'fizzy drink', and then he sipped at it eagerly.

"It is nothing like the other fizzy drink" he said forlornly, pausing after his first taste. "And it is alcoholic." He took another sip. "It does not taste so bad I suppose." Then he finished the glass rather quickly and smiled. "I like this. I prefer the other though."

"Your favourite drink is 7up then. Can I get you anything else?" Eric just grinned at me.

Another glass of 7up later, my Viking guest declared himself satisfied, and I moved onto my next duty as hostess. "Would you like to wash, and I will find you some clean clothes for you to put on after?"

"Do I really smell so offensive?" he asked, somewhat plaintively. "I bathe often compared to many of those in my village, and my clothes were only washed a few days ago."

Clearly vamp-Eric's cutting remarks about his personal hygiene had hit a raw nerve. I thought the vampire was simply exaggerating for the sake of being nasty – or I suppose his sensitive vamp nose was more easily offended than mine. I had noticed that human-Eric had a slightly musky scent, and his clothes had a few marks on them, but I certainly didn't think he smelled 'revolting', or looked particularly savage.

I hastened to reassure him. "Don't you worry about that vampire, he really is an ass. I don't know what he was talking about – I assure you, you smell perfectly fine. However, it is a custom here to bathe and change clothes daily, which is why I thought to offer. And if you are staying here for any length of time, you will need to have clothes which are a little less noticeable."

"Very well, you are right; I must try to fit in."

I led Eric to the bathroom, stopping for a towel along the way, which he held to his face and rubbed against his cheek appreciatively. It was a strangely feline gesture, which reminded me again of his vampire self.

I became very flustered trying to explain the toilet to him. Once he understood my explanation he was so enthusiastic about the idea that he insisted on trying it out at once. It was only because I fled from the room as he dropped his trousers that he didn't have an audience.

After waiting what I thought was a safe amount of time, I crept back to the bathroom and was relieved to find him, fully clothed, sniffing the various bottles around the shower, which he'd pulled all the tops off. I was about to resume bathroom lessons 101 when it occurred to me he probably never washed his hands after using the toilet. Ewwww. Not that he was the only man I knew who didn't wash his hands, and at least he had an excuse.

After an initial incident, when he squeezed the soap bar too hard and fired it across the room, he washed his hands happily enough, only raising an eyebrow at my vehemence about the importance of hand washing.

I was excited about showing him how the shower worked, as even I think of hot showers as an amazing luxury, and I've been enjoying them all my life.

I pulled the shower curtain most of the way closed, and then switched on the water, adjusting it till it was a good temperature. Eric held his hand out and smiled in wonder. "Now I understand why it is a custom to bathe daily here."

I showed him how to adjust the temperature and instructed him on the use of shower gel, shampoo and conditioner before I left, promising to return with a change of clothes.

I managed to find some old sweat pants of Jason's and a t-shirt, which I hoped he would be able to get into, although I knew they'd look fairly ridiculous on him. I stopped outside the bathroom door and knocked, entering when Eric called out, "yes, Sookie?"

As I came through the door Eric's hand emerged from the shower, and jerked the shower curtain open. I got a brief glimpse of his hard, muscled body, soap suds dripping down his smooth, lightly-tanned skin, while he looked at me expectantly, evidently thinking I wanted to talk to him. Shocked and embarrassed, I threw Jason's clothes in the air and covered my face with my hands, spinning around to face the door again.

Oh dear Lord! I was beet red. I had never seen that much of Eric all at once before, and the slightly obstructed view I got in Jackson of a particular part of his anatomy had not prepared me for the full frontal I'd just received. My thoughts were positively pornographic, as my mind replayed the sight in my head, zeroing in on his most impressive body part.

"Sookie?" Eric sounded a bit concerned. "Is something wrong? Do you not like to see naked men? I'm sorry."

I could hardly say I didn't like to see naked men considering I had just been entertaining a very brief fantasy of caressing his soap-slippery form. "No Eric, it's ok, it's not your fault. It's not that I don't like seeing naked men..." Thank _god_ vamp-Eric wasn't here to hear that. "It's just that people here usually cover themselves up in front of others, so I was embarrassed to walk in on you like this."

"Oh I see, it is another of your customs. I do not like it as much as the bathing custom, but I will try to respect your wishes."

I felt a brief pang of regret when I heard the shower curtain being pulled back, but I was also very relieved, as my face gradually returned to its normal shade. Vamp-Eric would have bared himself to me like that on purpose, and wouldn't have been the least bit sorry if he offended me – in fact, he would enjoy my discomfort. I knew that _this_ Eric genuinely hadn't thought he was doing anything wrong, and I was touched by his desire to behave appropriately for me.

I gathered up Jason's clothes from the floor, thankfully not too wet, and stacked them by his towel, near the door. "I just came in to bring you clean clothes. I've left them by your towel. Do you mind if I take your old clothes away?"

"No, that's fine. Thank you Sookie."

I gathered up his Viking outfit and then left the poor man alone so he could enjoy the rest of his shower without worrying about my sensibilities.

I decided against trying to wash his clothes, as wasn't sure they were washing-machine friendly, and I didn't think Eric would appreciate me shrinking his only set of clothing. Instead I hung them up to air out a bit, and made a mental note to have them on hand as Eric's 'going home outfit'.

I went through my bedroom to the bathroom to begin getting ready for bed, pausing in thought when I picked up my toothbrush. I felt like I ought to show Eric how to brush his teeth, but the idea of sharing my brush made me squeamish. Oh well, he hadn't even eaten anything here yet, and as he had gone his whole life so far without brushing his teeth, I didn't think one more night would hurt. I resolved to buy him a tooth brush the next day, and some new clothes that actually fit him.

As I made up the spare bed, in my old room, I heard the shower shut off. He'd been in there a long time, but I could understand as it was his first ever hot shower. I was sure by morning there would be enough hot water for my shower anyway.

I walked out into the hallway to wait for him, and he soon came out of the bathroom wearing Jason's clothes, with his towel slung over his shoulder. He'd obviously rubbed his hair dry, as it was sticking out in all directions. Add that to the sweat pants which finished half way down his calf, and the tight t-shirt which didn't quite cover his wash-board stomach and he was quite a sight. I would have found him comical if I wasn't so distracted by the trail of pale blond hair and the defined V leading to the waist band of his pants, and beyond.

"I am glad I have seen what the other Eric was wearing, or I would be worried that this was normal attire for men in this time. I look silly, and it is not very comfortable."

"Those are my brother's clothes, and he's not quite your size. I'm going to go out and get you some clothes that fit in the morning."

"Your brother? Where is he? He is alive?"

"Yes he's alive, he lives in our parents' old house, but he stops by sometimes to visit, and he likes to have spare clothes here."

"Why does he allow you to live here by yourself, unprotected and un-provided for?"

I know I should have expected it, but this made me feel quite angry. "Eric, my brother doesn't need to 'allow' me to do anything. We've been over this already. I provide for myself, I don't need anyone else to do it, and I certainly wouldn't want my brother, of all people, trying to take care of me. It is normal for people to live by themselves. I really don't want to keep going over this, so _please_, don't ask me again why someone else isn't looking after me when I'm more than capable of doing so myself. I'm looking after you, aren't I?"

"I have offended you again. I'm sorry. I know that you are a very capable person, and you are kind enough to take care of me. I only asked because I know that if I were in a position to provide for you and offer you comfort and protection, I would want to. Not because you can't do everything for yourself, but because you shouldn't have to."

I still didn't think he'd quite got the point, but I couldn't help but soften towards him again. He could be so sweet – what a shame to know how much a thousand years would change him.

"Thank you Eric, I appreciate that." I smiled at him and gestured towards the doorway of his room. I walked in with him and explained that he would be sleeping here for what remained of the night, and then turned to leave – I was exhausted, and couldn't wait to get into my own bed.

Before I got far though, I felt Eric's hand reach out for mine, stopping me. I looked at him questioningly, and he turned his face away, slumping slightly. "When I sleep at home, there are always other people around. I have never been this alone before," he explained gruffly.

My face crumpled a little as I contemplated the dejected Viking. Without really thinking about it, I found myself offering, "why don't you come and sleep in my bed tonight, then?"

He turned back around and gave me a brilliant smile. I was glad I was too tired at this point to be affected by it, especially as I was asking him to come to bed with me, however innocently.

"You would not mind?" He checked.

"No Eric, it's fine." Then I tugged on his hand a little to get him moving, and he followed me to my room.

As I had changed into my nightgown while he was in the shower, I slid straight into bed, and then lifted up the covers on the other side, inviting him. He got into bed somewhat gingerly, and then pushed himself up on his hands, bouncing slightly.

"This is incredible. Almost as good as the shower. I have never slept on anything so comfortable."

Then he lay down facing me, pulling the blanket over himself and rubbing his head against the pillow contentedly.

I gave him a sleepy smile, "good night Eric."

"Good night Sookie."

I turned over and switched the lamp off, sighing at the welcome darkness after such a long, crazy night. As I was preparing to drift off to sleep, Eric spoke up again, softly.

"I am sorry I frightened you tonight. I'm glad you found me."

Half asleep already, I reached out and took his hand in response. The last thing I was conscious of was Eric shuffling closer and snuggling up against my back, and then I was out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Thanks again for all your reviews and alerts, they really make me feel good about writing this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last 3.

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks. She did a really thorough job on this chapter, and I've added a lot to it due to her suggestions.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story

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I could tell by the bright sunlight streaming through the windows that I was quite late in waking. I was on my side, facing Eric, who was lying on his back with his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression.

Eric looked my way when I sat up, and smiled softly at me. "Do people here always stay in bed so long after dawn?"

I immediately felt guilty for sleeping in so late. "Oh! I'm sorry Eric. We were just up so late last night, I was really tired. How long have you been awake? You don't have to stay and wait for me you know; you're welcome to explore the house."

"Don't worry, I have not been awake so long. I can understand if people regularly sleep late here, if all beds are this comfortable. I did not mind waiting for you. I have been thinking of all the things which happened last night, and I have a lot of questions."

Just then, a loud gurgling noise came from Eric's belly. I couldn't help but laugh, as I had never imagined that I would hear Eric's stomach rumbling – it was so human. Eric grinned sheepishly and I suggested, "why don't you ask your questions over breakfast?" I glanced at the clock – 12:20. "Well, lunch I guess it would be since it's after midday. No wonder you're hungry."

I couldn't help but notice again how silly Eric looked in Jason's clothes, and he glanced down at himself unhappily at his appearance.

"I'm going to get you some clothes that fit today, I promise." I reassured him. "I don't think you'll be staying here long, but you'll need clothes wherever the other Eric takes you, and I don't imagine he'll let you wear his."

I decided to make a full cooked breakfast for the two of us. We were both starving, and I couldn't exactly offer Eric his usual breakfast. What if he asked for dried salted herring, or whatever Vikings eat?

As I cooked, Eric enjoyed another glass of 7up, finishing the bottle. I added that to my list of things to buy for him today. I felt a bit guilty, though, filling him up with sugary drinks. He didn't even know about the danger of diabetes. Not to mention, he wouldn't have any modern dental care available to him when he got back to his own time, so it would be dreadful if he got a cavity. I imagined vamp-Eric's displeasure if he went through eternity missing a tooth thanks to me, and I resolved to get human-Eric to cut back on the 7up.

Eric was fascinated by my 'cooking machine', and kept waving his hands over the hob, unable to understand where the heat was coming from. I had to call him back to the table as he was in danger of burning himself – and of drooling on our breakfast. Obviously he approved of the smell.

Eric made small groaning noises while eating, and was so caught up in enjoying his first Southern cooked breakfast that he forgot to ask me any of his questions. I found it rather harder to enjoy my breakfast – Eric wasn't used to a knife and fork, and watching a man eat runny eggs with his hands and a spoon was not attractive. Yep, he was definitely going to need a change of clothes.

I sighed as I thought about how it was another wasted photo opportunity. Maybe I should dig out my old camera and keep it on hand for such situations.

After I'd cleared up, I was really desperate for a shower. Eric looked a bit wistful when I mentioned it, but I assured him that he could have another shower later – hopefully when I had bought some shower gel which was a bit more manly than my current floral kind. He didn't seem entirely satisfied with my answer though, as he eyed me in a way I'd seen from vamp-Eric on many occasions. Oh boy.

I left him with an old photo album for entertainment, figuring he'd find the pictures interesting. He became totally absorbed, stroking the photos with his fingers, and barely noticed my exit. I was relieved that I wouldn't have to fend off his attentions right at that moment – I'd never had much luck resisting the vampire version. I was nervous now though about spending the rest of the day with him.

As it turned out, I did have enough hot water for my shower, despite Eric's extended bathing session the night before. I sighed though when I noticed that he had used up most of my shower gel, and he hadn't gone much easier on my shampoo and conditioner. I guess I hadn't explained their use very well – it was another item I would have to add to my ever-growing list of things to buy. Looking after human-Eric was turning out to be quite expensive, and I made a mental note to talk to his vampire self about it. He did, after all, ask me to 'clean him up', so he couldn't object to paying for his clothes and shower products, could he?

I felt a lot better after I'd showered, and dressed in jeans and a red long-sleeved t-shirt. When I got back to the kitchen Eric looked up straight away and asked excitedly, "could _we _make some 'photos'?"

All I had was a really old, crummy camera, the kind that prints the photos instantly – but I guessed he wouldn't be fussy about the quality. I much preferred him to be happy and enthusiastic instead of anxious and brooding the way he had been last night, so if Eric wanted to take pictures, we would take pictures.

First he wanted to take a photo of me, and he eagerly snatched the photo from the camera as it came out, his face scrunching in disappointment when he saw it was black. Then I watched the creases on his forehead smooth out and his shining smile return as the picture developed. "No one I know can make a picture this fast, or this life-like. I guess this makes me the best artist in my village," he joked. "Take one of me?"

At first he didn't think to pose at all, but he was unsatisfied with the pictures of himself staring at the camera goofily. "I look like a simpleton, not a Viking."

In the next few pictures he was holding his sword and scowling. He might have looked more intimidating if he wasn't still wearing Jason's clothes – decorated with his own breakfast. Eric, though, seemed very pleased with the results, and was offended when I laughed at him.

"These are enough," he said stiffly, waving me away when I prepared to take another picture. Then his mood changed abruptly and he pointed out slyly, "We do not have a photo of both of us."

I shrugged. "Alright then, but if you're a Viking, what shall I be?"

He didn't say anything, but started stalking towards me wearing a wolfish expression that vamp-Eric would be proud of.

"Eric...?"

He stopped just in front of me. "You shall be the beautiful maiden I captured while out pillaging."

And before I could react he grabbed the camera from me and picked me up, hefting me over his shoulder with my upper half trailing down his back and my legs kicking by his head. I shrieked in surprise and then started hitting him wherever I could reach, while he laughed heartily and started taking photos of my struggles.

I suddenly realised I was smacking his ass – and what an ass it was. I stopped wriggling to admire it momentarily, feeling absurdly grateful to Jason's ill-fitting sweat pants for the way they hugged Eric's backside.

I came back to reality with a thud, literally, as Eric dropped me back onto my feet. I flushed with embarrassment over our contact, and was thankful that _I_ was the mind reader, not him.

Eric was still chuckling as he draped an arm around my shoulders casually and held the camera out again with his other hand, taking a final picture.

I stood for a moment, enjoying the feel of his arm around me. The comfort of physical closeness was something I really missed from my relationship with Bill, and Eric – this Eric – was wonderfully warm.

As I stood there, Eric's expression became speculative, and I snapped out of it, pushing him away from me. Frowning, I told him off. "You can't just manhandle people, Eric. Maybe that's how you Vikings usually behave, but I can tell you, buddy, that sort of behaviour is just not acceptable here."

I maintained my stern expression for a few moments, but Eric looked so unrepentant I just threw my hands up and huffed at him.

As we were gathering up our photos, I brought up a problem I'd been mulling over. "I need to go out to get you some new clothes, among other things, but there's no way I can bring you with me."

"Sookie, I can be left on my own, I'm not a child – whatever my thousand year old self may think. I won't hurt myself or break anything" he added this last part somewhat sullenly.

"I know that Eric, I'm not suggesting you _can't_ be left alone, just that I'd rather stay here and keep you company."

Before we could get any further into the conversation, I heard someone driving towards the house. Panicked, I grabbed Eric's arm and practically dragged him with me to my bedroom. I drew the curtains and hissed at him not to come out under any circumstances, then left him there, closing the door behind me.

As I made my way back to the living room I heard someone moving around in the kitchen.

"Sookie?" a male voice called out.

Ah. Jason. I walked into the kitchen to find him raiding the fridge. "Hi Jason, what's up?" I asked cautiously. I really wanted to get rid of him quickly, but I didn't want to make him suspicious.

"Uh, not much. Just wanted to stop by and check on my little sister."

"Mhm?" I looked at him sceptically as he pulled some left-overs out of the fridge, "and once you got here you thought you might as well help yourself to lunch?"

Jason looked sheepish. Hah, busted. "Yeah, well, while I'm here... I got nothing at home and I'm pretty hungry. I'm going into town later though to stock up. I'll pick up some stuff for you too if you want?"

I was frustrated that I'd have to wait for him to eat before he'd leave, but I was also relieved that he'd solved my problem for me. "Actually, I do have a few things I'd like."

Jason was sat at the table now, digging in, but he nodded and asked with his mouth full, "Sure, like what?"

I hesitated a moment, realising how this would sound.

"Well?" Jason persisted.

I sighed, and felt annoyed with myself. I didn't have anything to be ashamed of, and anyway, Jason was in no position to judge. "I need large clothes, for a man. Just some jeans and t-shirts, as well as underwear and footwear. Also, could you just pick up some male bathroom essentials? Oh, and a bottle of 7up." While I was still determined that Eric would stop chugging soda the way he had been, I didn't think he'd take kindly to me cutting him off entirely.

Jason looked interested now and stopped eating. "You got a man staying with you?"

This was a small hitch in my plan which I hadn't considered. I really didn't want him to find out about Eric, for both their sakes. "I offered to let the relative of a friend stay with me, and he turned out to be travelling light." So vamp-Eric wasn't really a friend, and human-Eric was not exactly his relative, but it wasn't that far off the truth.

Jason didn't look like he was buying it. Among other things, he knew I didn't have many friends – none that he didn't know as well. "Can I meet this guy? Is he anyone I know?"

"No Jason, you don't know him, and it's really best if you don't meet him."

He looked offended, but before he could voice his objection, we were interrupted.

"I don't see why." Eric said as he joined us in the kitchen.

I groaned in frustration. Eric looked defensive, and tried to explain himself. "I was not going to just hide in your bedroom like a coward. I wanted to listen to make sure you were not in danger. This Jason, he is your brother? I would like to meet him." He looked very determined.

Jason was gaping at Eric, flicking his eyes up and down his imposing figure. I could tell he was equal parts impressed at his size and perplexed by his outfit. "I can see why you need me to pick up the clothes... Jeez Sookie, I guess you won the food fight."

Eric looked uncomfortable as he was reminded of the state he was in, and Jason was now looking at me expectantly, waiting for the introduction.

I gave in. "Eric, this is my brother Jason. Jason, this is Eric. He's visiting from Sweden." He truly was from Sweden after all, and if Jason knew he was from another country, that might help explain some of his peculiarities.

Eric nodded gravely at Jason, who returned the gesture. "Sweden? Hope you're enjoying it over here. Your English is great man."

The Viking obviously wasn't sure how to respond to this, and instead he asked bluntly, "do you not care that your sister lives here alone?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I live alone too!"

I caught Eric's eye and shook my head firmly, my lips pursed and my eyes narrowed. I couldn't believe he was bringing this up again.

He took the hint and looked slightly abashed. "It doesn't matter..." he mumbled to Jason.

"Look," I cut in, "I was really trying to avoid this but, Jason, it would be better for everyone if you forgot you saw him here."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm very serious. Don't mention Eric to anyone, alright?"

Jason went from disbelief to concern. "Is he in some kinda trouble?" He turned on Eric, angrily. "Is my sister gonna be in danger thanks to you?"

"It is possible, yes." Eric replied unhappily.

I cut off any further questions Jason might have had. "Jason, it's fine. It couldn't be helped, and it's not his fault, ok? We've got the situation under control, and he probably won't be here much longer anyway."

I sounded more confident than I felt, but Jason bought it. "Alright, no one's gonna find out he's here from me. You just let me know if you're in any trouble, you hear?"

"Thanks Jason." I was relieved he was co operating.

Eric spoke up as well. "I will not let anything happen to her while I am staying here. You have my word."

Jason looked satisfied, and stood up, obviously finished with his lunch. "Before I go Sookie, what'd you think of my date?"

His date would be the attractive young girl he was with last night – who also happened to be a shifter of some kind. The idea of Jason getting mixed up in the supernatural world really worried me, especially now when there was something sinister going on. I was also scared for Eric. The supernatural community was not very big, and if Jason got involved with a shifter, the information that Eric was staying with me could end up with the wrong people.

"I think you shouldn't see her again. At all." I stated firmly, crossing my arms.

"Why do you say that?" Asked Jason, shocked. "Did you... get something off her?"

"She's something more than human. Don't ask me what, I'm sure you don't want to know."

He looked stunned, and choked out "How can you be so sure?"

I gave him a significant look, and he held his hands in front of him, "alright, alright. I get it, and you're right, I don't want to know."

He backed away nervously, and put his hand on the door handle. "Well, uh, I better be going now. I'll pick up that stuff for you, now I know what sizes to get." He flicked his eyes to Eric, "Nice meeting you, Eric."

I was concerned about how my brother was taking all this unwelcome information. I really would have preferred to spare him such details, as I knew he'd find it hard to cope with. I dropped my shields a little and found that Jason mostly believed everything I'd said, but he liked the Crystal girl enough that he was planning on meeting her again tonight anyway.

Before Jason could leave I grabbed his arm and looked him straight in the eye. "I know what you're planning, and I want you to listen to me real carefully. Do not get involved with this girl. There're things going on right now that you do not want to be drawn into. As your sister, I want you to trust me on this."

He was angry for a moment that I'd looked into his head, but that was quickly replaced by fear. "Alright Sookie. I don't like it, but I guess you know best when it comes to this sort of thing."

I could tell I'd gotten through to him this time, and I let go of him as he made a hurried exit, not looking back. I hoped he'd get over this. He may not be a great brother, but he was all the family I had left and the thought of him being even more uncomfortable around me left me sad.

I stood in contemplative silence for a moment, before Eric confessed "I see now why you do not wish to live with your brother."

"You don't know the half of it. But he's not all bad, and he's the only family I have left."

"I would like to ask you about something."

I could tell it was time for our question and answer session, so I took a seat at the table, and Eric joined me before continuing.

"Your brother trusted you to know something about this girl, Crystal. Last night, the vampire accepted I was telling the truth as soon as you spoke for me. Is there some special reason for this trust in your judgment of others? You referred to yourself as a human with 'extras'."

I had been planning to have this discussion with Eric, so I was not too thrown by his line of questioning. "I'm a telepath – I can hear peoples' thoughts." It seemed best to just come out with it.

Eric looked impressed. "You can hear my thoughts?"

"Not very well, actually. I got a couple of sentences from you last night, but that's it." I hoped he wouldn't ask for details, as I'd rather not revisit that terrifying situation. I continued with my explanation, "I can get a sense of your emotions though, and I could tell you were being truthful."

"Why can't you hear me clearly do you think?"

"I'm really not sure, but I've been wondering about that since last night, and I have a theory. What I did hear from you was in my language, so whatever allows us to talk to each other, also affects your mind. I guess that somehow creates interference between you thinking something, and me hearing it."

Eric nodded solemnly, then thought of something else. "The other me also knows what you can do. Does everyone?"

This was more complicated. "Only people close to me actually know what I can do, but many people who live around here know that there's something different about me. In general though, people here don't know that telepaths exist."

"You are... 'close to' the vampire? Is that why he said things that made you blush?" He wore a sneaky expression now, "we will be lovers in a thousand years?" Yep, there was the smirk and the waggling eyebrows. I could have been looking at vamp-Eric... Except that he would be burning to ash right now.

"No! Of course not!" I was perhaps protesting a little too loudly, the thought of how close we'd come in Jackson weighing on my mind. But Eric took my vehemence the wrong way.

"Is it not considered right to have sex with a vampire?" He looked disappointed, and then horrified as another thought occurred to him, "_can_ vampires have sex?"

I could tell from his panicked expression that the idea of an eternity without sex was by far the worst thing he'd faced since arriving here, and I hurried to put him out of his misery.

"Vampires can most definitely have sex. Trust me, you especially have nothing to worry about. Sometimes it seems like vampire Eric thinks of nothing else. If you knew how much time I spend fending off his advances..."

Oops, spilled the beans. I could tell Eric was not going to let me off the hook here. He'd quickly moved on from his earlier panic to being intensely interested. "He has tried to seduce you? You have refused him?"

"Yes, and yes." Mostly. I'd _mostly_ refused him.

"I suppose I can see why you would refuse him. I am not very likeable as a vampire. May I apologise in advance for how I will pester you?"

He was enjoying the humour of the situation now, and I couldn't help smiling along with him. "That's alright Eric, you're forgiven. I won't hold you responsible for the actions of that arrogant a-hole."

"I have to admit though, I can understand his persistence."

The atmosphere changed completely with this shift in the conversation, and I was no longer smiling, but feeling distinctly unsure about the situation. His expressive blue eyes looked into mine unflinchingly, their piercing gaze filling me with turmoil. I couldn't move, or think of a response. After the longest moment he blinked, and looked away, and the tension disappeared.

"What is your relationship to him then, if you consider him 'close'? You said last night that you didn't know me very well."

This was awkward. "I wasn't actually referring to vampire you when I mentioned people I'm close to... The situation with him knowing about my telepathy is different."

He was looking at me expectantly, so I continued, trying to be tactful. "I am useful to him, because of his position. He needs the services of a telepath sometimes, so I help him out."

After that I had to explain what vamp-Eric's position was, and how I came to work for him from time to time. While I left out the worst of my previous contact with Eric's vampire self, he understood that I had not exactly become involved with him by choice. He was looking unhappy again, and I was annoyed with myself for letting the conversation get to this point. This young, human man had no part in vamp-Eric's actions towards me, and he shouldn't be made to feel guilty.

I decided to move the conversation on, and I was interested in knowing more about this Eric. "You mentioned your family?"

"Yes. Both my parents are alive. I have three living children – two sons and a daughter. My wife died a little over a month ago, when our sixth child was born, who didn't survive either."

So much for lightening his mood; I felt even worse now. Although, Eric had told me all this in a very matter-of-fact tone, and didn't seem at all phased by it. It gave me some insight into how, even as a human, Eric's life was vastly different to my own. It gave me a lot to think about, with regards to vamp-Eric.

"I'm so sorry. About your wife and children, I mean. It must have been difficult. Do you miss them?" I had to offer these sentiments, even though it was clear that his outlook on death was quite different to my own.

He shrugged. "Aude was a good wife." Before I could ask anything else, he asked me about my own family. "You too have experienced losses. You said your brother is your only family?"

I told him about my parents, and Gran, and even Hadley. While it always made me sad to think of how little family I had left, it was Gran's loss that still felt raw and painful. Eric didn't babble platitudes at me, but simply held eye contact with me as I spoke, and nodded when I was finished. All the same, I felt as though he understood and sympathised with me in a real, practical way that few other people ever had.

I didn't feel much like talking anymore, and I hoped I'd answered enough questions for now. When I stood and offered to get him a drink, he didn't object to the break, so I took that to mean we were done for now. He was disappointed when I told him we were out of 7up, but I got him a beer, which he was happy with.

I needed a way to pass a few hours, so I decided it was a good time to introduce Eric to the TV. I just hoped he wouldn't form a close, personal relationship with it the way so many men did, as he would be out of luck if he wanted to watch TV when he got home.

Eric watched with interest as I set up the DVD player. When I switched the TV on, he jerked back, startled, and then quickly joined me crouching in front of the TV.

Gazing at the people moving and talking, he asked seriously, "is this magic, rather than a machine? Surely there is no way to show a moving, speaking picture like this without magic." He wrapped his knuckles on the screen. "It is hard and flat, and yet the picture is completely lifelike."

I could understand his awe – I was awed by modern technology when I really thought about it, which wasn't often. "No magic. It's just another machine. Believe it or not, this picture is created by human ingenuity alone; the TV is really just another tool, like the car, and the machine I use to call people, and the one I used to cook food. It's considered a pretty mundane object here. We forget just how truly incredible it is that we can build something like this."

"If humans can build such things, it makes all these supernatural beings and their magic seem much less impressive. Surely you have machines that can fight vampires and witches."

While vamp-Eric hated to admit mere humans posed a threat to him, the Viking was positively gleeful at the prospect. I guess it was nice for him to know that although he was being pushed around by supes just now, and would be forced to become a vampire when he returned to his own time, at least humanity would be able to teach supernaturals some respect in the future.

"Yes," I agreed, "that is why vampires revealed their existence to the world. They have always hidden themselves, and lived by their own rules, but they realised that the time was coming when humans would find out about them, thanks to our technology. They chose to come out on their own terms, rather than be hunted down. Make no mistake though, supes are not to be messed with, and vampires can still pretty much do as they please."

Before Eric could ask anything else I jumped up and sat on the sofa, gesturing for him to join me. "Let's just relax and watch this for now. You can ask me more later, if you want."

I had chosen Gone with the Wind. I knew Eric would be unlikely to understand a lot of what happened in the movie, but he would at least enjoy the spectacle. I grinned to myself when Eric settled himself next to me, eager to see more. Vamp-Eric would jump at the chance to snuggle up with me and watch TV, but he would roll his eyes at my movie choice. This Eric had no such objections.

As much as I loved the movie, I started yawning as soon as it started. I guess even with the sleep-in I hadn't quite recovered from my late night. My eyelids started fluttering closed, and it became progressively harder to pry them open again. It wasn't long before they stayed shut, and I fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

The movie was about two thirds through when I gradually came back to myself. I was stretched out full length on the sofa, with my head resting in a warm lap. There was a large hand resting on the curve of my neck, gently stroking. When I opened my eyes and looked up, Eric was staring at the TV avidly, but I must have moved slightly because he quickly glanced down at my face, and smiled when he saw I was awake.

I sat up awkwardly, and he lifted his hand away. Neither of us said anything, and we both returned to watching the movie, but I didn't move back to the other side of the sofa.

"Can we watch it again?" He asked once it was over, and the screen was blank again.

I laughed but shook my head. "It's getting late, we don't really have time for another movie. If we get a chance, we can watch TV again some time, but we'll watch something different."

"There are more things to watch?" he exclaimed, eyes lighting up.

"Yes Eric, people don't just watch Gone with the Wind every day. There are so many different things to watch on TV that you couldn't see them all if you spent your whole life watching them." I immediately re-thought that sentence, "well, you possibly could try to watch everything in _your_ lifetime. But for those of us without a thousand years of spare time, it would be an impossible feat."

My reference to his unnatural life span was probably in bad taste, but he laughed along with me anyway. I found myself thinking how easy it was to spend time with this man. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Vamp-Eric had always been funny and clever, and the few times – very few – when we'd been able to relax and just talk, had been fun. It was just all the power and politics that made involvement with him so difficult. That, and the beatings I always ended up getting – not that Eric could be entirely blamed for those.

I reluctantly got up, although I could happily have had a little nap on the sofa before dinner, and I headed into the kitchen. As Eric followed I discussed the evening ahead with him. "It's getting a bit late, and Eric, the other Eric I mean, said he'd be back tonight. We should have dinner before it gets dark, because I'm not sure if he'll remember to feed you if he takes you somewhere else."

"I would like to have another shower before the vampire gets here." He paused, and looked embarrassed. "I don't want to be referred to as a smelly savage again."

"Of course you can have another shower." It was an understandable request. Vamp-Eric had once bluntly told me I needed a shower, but he was being playful. I could only imagine how demoralising it was to be on the receiving end of a deliberately scathing personal attack by the vampire. "Why don't you shower while I make dinner? You can use the same towel, if it's dry. I'm sorry I haven't managed to get any clothes for you yet. I really thought Jason would be back by now, but I know I made him feel pretty uncomfortable today, so maybe he doesn't want to face me again just yet."

"I don't mind. Your house is very warm, I will just wear the trousers."

With that, Eric stripped off his food-spattered top and handed it to me. I have to confess, I looked. Or maybe ogled is the more appropriate term. Before I could give into the temptation to test the feel of his soft golden chest hair, I averted my eyes and tried to act casual. I couldn't help but look again though, as he turned to head towards the bathroom – and he had the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Once Eric had finished his shower, and we'd had dinner, it was almost dark. I'd lit a fire, and we sat on the sofa together, waiting nervously. I knew it wouldn't take vamp-Eric long to get here after he rose, but I wasn't sure whether he'd come straight here. Knowing we could have a vampire turning up at any moment, and wondering how he'd behave tonight, had us both on edge.

As if I wasn't worked up enough already, Eric's half-naked form was making me decidedly uncomfortable. I'd managed not to focus on him too much over dinner, as we were both intent on our meal, but without such a distraction, I was finding it hard to focus on anything else.

He was reclining with his long legs stretched out in front of him, both his arms resting over the back of the sofa, his left hand almost brushing my arm. The position accentuated his powerful shoulder muscles, and exposed his chest and stomach to my gaze. Everything was hard and taut and defined, and his smooth skin positively glowed with life in the light of the fire. I was staring intently enough to notice that the hair on his body was slightly darker than that on his head – a pale gold rather than wheat coloured. His nipples were hard, and I found myself thinking how easy it would be to lean closer and take one in my mouth...

My breathing hitched and I realised I had unconsciously moved closer to him. His cool blue gaze was settled on me intently, as his handsome face showed confusion, and something more: Desire?

It was like Jackson all over again. I realised that if he made the slightest move towards me, my body would welcome him enthusiastically, regardless of what my mind might think about it. Then I imagined what vamp-Eric would walk in on, and it was like being splashed in the face with a bucket of ice water. I looked away, and tried to think how to move past the moment we'd just shared.

Thankfully, Eric broke our silence. "Why is it so important that he comes here after dark? Why not earlier?"

This certainly distracted me. I looked at him incredulously for a moment, before I realised he didn't have any reason to know that vampires died for the day. "I forget you don't know anything about supernaturals past what you've heard since you got here. Why don't I tell you a bit about vampires while we wait for the other Eric to turn up? I have to warn you, I'm no expert, but I do know some things."

"I would like that, if I am to become a vampire."

I outlined vampire strengths and weaknesses for him, and explained what little I understood about their behaviour, and attitude towards humans. While he was clearly unhappy at the prospect of eternal darkness, it was the blood drinking thing that really threw him.

"I will drink _blood_? I will prey on people and sink my teeth into them and drink their _blood_?"

I wasn't really sure what to say, because I thought it was gross too. I had to try to make him feel better about the inevitable though. "It's not as bad as it sounds. Vampires don't have to kill the people they drink from, and I'm told they hardly ever do." No need to express my doubts on that score. "I know it sounds unpleasant, but the vampire Eric seems to really enjoy drinking blood, so it can't be so bad."

Unfortunately, talking about vamp-Eric's enjoyment of blood led to a very awkward conversation about the close connection between sex and blood, and blood lust, and fangbangers, and other cringe-inducing topics. I was just about squirming with embarrassment by the time I'd answered all his questions. I was relieved he didn't ask me how I had such intimate knowledge about sex with vampires.

I wouldn't have minded telling him about Bill, but my experiences with Eric's own vampire self were not something I wanted to get into. I noticed that the prospect of hordes of women offering themselves to him was one thing human-Eric didn't voice any concerns over – no surprises there.

My relief that he hadn't asked about my sex life was short-lived, however, as he asked "have you ever been bitten by a vampire?"

"Yes." I replied, avoiding his gaze.

He looked surprised, and interested. "What is it like?"

This would be difficult to answer without getting into details I considered private. I thought about my experiences with Bill, and in particular the last time he'd bitten me. My voice shook a bit as I relived the experience. "It hurts like a b-... it's very painful; not at all pleasant." That wasn't the full truth though, so I took a deep breath and continued. "It doesn't have to be like that though. In some situations, it can be enjoyed by both participants."

Then I heard the sound of tires on gravel, and breathed a sigh of relief. Despite my anxiousness about vamp-Eric's visit, I could easily imagine what the Viking's next question would have been. Now I wouldn't have to answer it – for the moment, anyway. I jumped up to get the door.

Eric knew what that sound meant by now, and he too jumped up, looking tense. Our conversation was forgotten, and he was now totally focused on this next meeting with the thousand year old, vampire, version of himself. He stood next to me as I opened the door, and we looked out into the night expectantly.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Thanks again to all those who keep reviewing this story, it's really helpful and encouraging, and makes writing more fun.

Thanks also to BathshebaRocks for her fabulous beta skills.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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Two vampires appeared in the doorway in their usual sudden fashion, vamp-Eric with a fangy smile directed at me, and Pam standing slightly behind him with a serious expression.

"Good evening, Miss Stackhouse. May we come in?" He was asking to be polite, as we both knew he already had an invitation. Pam, however, had to be invited.

"Won't you both come in?"

I stepped back to make room, and human-Eric stood back with me, eyeing Pam tensely. As she stepped through the door, she focused on the Viking, and breathed deeply. Her eyes took on a soft expression I'd never seen on her before, and she glanced sideways at vamp-Eric. Seeing that he still had his eyes locked on me, she looked back to human-Eric and gave him a deep, respectful nod. He looked unsure, but nodded back. I guess Pam was loyal to Eric, human or vampire, regardless of how old he was. Then the moment passed, and Pam regained her usual bored expression, focused on nothing in particular, waiting for vamp-Eric to take the lead.

Vamp-Eric had apparently finished his close examination of me, and he put away his fangs as he strolled ahead of us into the living room, closely followed by Pam. He waited for me to sit down on the sofa, and then sat in a chair facing me, his elbows resting on knees, Pam standing close beside him. He raised his eyebrow slightly as human-Eric sat next to me, closer than the space on the sofa required.

"What is he wearing?" vamp-Eric asked incredulously.

"My brother's sweat pants. I don't have anything here that fits, but Jason's picking some clothes up for him."

"When he comes with us, I will provide appropriate attire for him."

The Viking spoke up, "I would rather wear what Sookie has arranged for me."

Vamp-Eric shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Before the two Erics could start another pissing contest like the night before, I butted in. "You said you'd tell us more about these witches? So what happened?"

As I'd hoped, vamp-Eric focused on me again. "Two nights ago we were visited by a witch, who is also a Were, named Hallow. She demanded I give up half of my businesses to her."

My disbelief must have been clear, because he continued "She does have some reason for her confidence. Witches are able to make life very difficult for us if they choose. She claimed to be a particularly strong witch, with powerful friends. At the time, I figured she was probably bluffing."

Now he nodded at his human self before looking back at me again. "As you can see, there may have been some truth to her claim."

Pam snorted at the understatement. It was bizarrely uncouth coming from the beautiful blonde vampire, and I was momentarily distracted by it.

The Viking took up my line of questioning. "She brought me here to prove her power? I am just an example?"

Vamp-Eric looked uncomfortable. "Not exactly..."

As he was hesitating, Pam took up the story. "She came back again last night, with some of her followers. She had another proposal for us." She leered devilishly at her maker. "She was so impressed by Eric that she'd decided she wanted to spend some quality time with him. In exchange for seven nights of his company, she was willing to only take a fifth of his businesses."

Both Erics looked smug for a moment. Evidently human-Eric was pleased to know he would be such a stud as a vampire. I, on the other hand, was feeling embarrassed by the whole thing. I really didn't want to think about Eric hiring out his sexual services to the supernatural community.

As I turned a delicate shade of pink, the two Erics simultaneously focused on me, and there was a new quality to their expressions. No longer smug, but almost predatory, and I felt a horrible sense of inevitability.

I gulped, and glanced between them, and they each noticed the other's interest. Now they were eyeing each other, their expressions neutral but their jaws tensed and their eyes burning, each refusing to look away first.

Pam laughed. "My, Sookie, you _do_ have your hands full. You're such an interesting human to be around." She enjoyed my discomfort for a moment before returning to her story. "As I was saying, Hallow made what some of us felt was an excellent offer. However, Eric saw fit to refuse in such insulting terms that she flew into a rage, swearing vengeance."

She glared at vamp-Eric, and he looked uncharacteristically embarrassed, breaking away from his staring contest with the Viking. "She was a _Were_, Pam. She was a filthy animal and not even very attractive, and she had the gall to think that I would be willing to fuck her." He shuddered dramatically.

"Even so, it may have paid to be more diplomatic."

I was exasperated by the pointless argument, and interrupted. "So she attacked you guys because Eric insulted her?"

"That's not entirely true," explained vamp-Eric. "We became tired of her shrill voice and her insolent threats. Chow snapped first and attacked her, and then 'it was on', as you humans say. Hallow and one of her minions escaped in wolf form, and we killed the rest, bar one. It was not much later when you called us."

"Then you ... questioned the survivor last night. What did you find out?" I tried to sound matter of fact about the whole torturing people for information thing, but my voice went all squeaky and I must have looked a little green, because human-Eric put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. Vamp-Eric growled a little, but I gestured for him to answer my question.

"We did learn some things of great interest, although not as much as I would have liked. There is a lot still that we need to find out. While I have no doubt that we extracted every possible bit of information from our prisoner, he was clearly not very well-informed." He and Pam grinned fangily in remembered blood lust, and I shuddered.

The vampires shook off their mood, and Eric continued. "He knew something of the spell that Hallow planned to cast. However, he was most insistent, even under prolonged questioning, that my human self was not meant to end up in Bon Temps, and nor was he meant to be capable of communication. Our Viking here was meant to end up entirely in their power – a rather useful bargaining chip."

He sounded so casual at the idea of his defenceless human self in the power of witches and weres, confused and frightened and unable to even talk to his captors. The idea horrified me, to the point where I couldn't help but rest my head on the Viking's shoulder, grateful as I was for his presence here, away from the witches. He too was affected by the news, as he responded by grabbing my hand and holding it tightly.

Vamp-Eric was showing a little fang, whether in anger at the witches or in disapproval over my close contact with human-Eric, I wasn't sure.

"Is that all you know then, that they brought him here, but their spell went wrong? Do we know why it went wrong, or how to send him back?" I asked.

Pam answered me, as her maker was still sulking. "Our prisoner was baffled when we explained that the spell had not worked. He knew of nothing which could have caused it to go so wrong. Of course, he was very stupid and didn't know much, so that doesn't mean anything. He did tell us that only Hallow could reverse the spell and send Eric – the human version – back to his own time. He also told us that Hallow has powerful allies. They offered their assistance in casting the spell and in hiding the witches from us. He could not give us any details about these allies, however."

That certainly gave us a lot to think about. I didn't like the sound of these 'powerful allies'. As if being hunted by Weres who were also witches was not trouble enough. Then it got worse.

"He had one other piece of very interesting information. Hallow and some of her followers drink vampire blood. They are also drainers." Pam looked furious as she shared this information, as did vamp-Eric. Because of our earlier conversation about vampires, human-Eric knew at least a little about vampire blood, so he looked concerned rather than confused.

I was reeling from the dual-dangers. Human-Eric was wanted as a bargaining chip to force vamp-Eric's cooperation, and could be killed if they decided to just get rid of Eric. Vamp-Eric meanwhile was in danger as a possible target for V-drinking Were witches who drained vampires. Feeling lost, I looked to the vampires for answers, "What do we do now?"

Vamp-Eric was all confidence again; fighting and forming strategies were well within his comfort zone. He even looked somewhat anticipatory. "I will use my contacts to track down the witches. I don't care if they have allies who have promised to hide them – I too have allies, and they _will _be found. We shall capture Hallow and force her to undo the spell. For now, I will take the Viking with me to my home. He will be locked in my day chamber until this issue is resolved. He will be well protected there."

"That's ridiculous!" I blurted out.

At the same time, human-Eric objected, "I do not want to live with you, and I do not want to be locked in a chamber indefinitely. I will stay here, with Sookie."

Vamp-Eric merely smiled at him menacingly. "Did you not notice I did not ask for your input? You will stay where I deem safest, which is in my day chamber. I do not need your cooperation; I will pick you up and carry you – unconscious – if necessary." It was clear that this last idea appealed to him.

"Eric," I tried to get his attention again. "Quite aside from the fact that it would be beyond cruel to lock someone in a room for days on end, I really can't think of a worse place to keep him safe than with you."

"Explain."

"Their real target is you, so who's to say that they won't keep coming after you now that their spell hasn't worked as planned. If they do come after you, then wherever you are is not going to be a safe place to be. Not to mention, surely they'll suspect your human self is with you?"

He was looking thoughtful now, so I pressed on. "If they do come after you, you won't be able to do anything to protect him during the day, and you won't be able to leave him at night to hunt down the witches, because a vampire could enter your house without an invitation. We know they have powerful allies – these could easily be vampires, couldn't they?"

"You are really not an average human, are you? Very cleverly reasoned, Sookie." Pam congratulated me. Then she spoke to her maker. "I told you it was not a good idea for him to stay with you Eric, do you agree now?"

He sighed. "You are right. I do not like it, I want to keep him where I can watch him, but you are still right. We would be twice as vulnerable with both of us in one place, and I do not have the time to keep a constant eye on him. It is possible that vampires are involved, as I do have other enemies."

I tried not to look too shocked by Eric's admission that he was wrong. I already knew he wasn't completely unreasonable, and he did not put his pride before his survival. I began to speak, to continue the discussion about where human-Eric should stay, when vamp-Eric held his hand up to stall any further conversation.

"Before we go any further with this, I need some very important information." He leaned forward and looked the Viking in the eye, asking seriously, "Is Aude still alive?"

I was glad I knew she had already died in human-Eric's time. This would be kind of a rough way to find out your wife was going to die. I wasn't sure where he was going with this though, and the Viking obviously shared my confusion.

"No... She died about a month ago." He answered, his voice uncertain.

Vamp-Eric's jaw clenched at this news, and he cursed under his breath. "We have about a month then – and I don't want to cut it fine."

Now we all understood what he was saying. If we didn't find these witches and get them to send human-Eric back to his own time within a month, Eric would never be turned, and vamp-Eric would cease to exist. Pam looked shocked, and frightened, and I realised that this would affect her existence as well. Human-Eric looked the least perturbed, but even he seemed a bit shell-shocked. While he didn't really care what happened to vamp-Eric, he must have been trying to digest the information that he would be a vampire in a month, if everything went according to plan.

I myself felt a deep anxiety. While I didn't think it was such a great thing to be a vampire, I knew that vamp-Eric and Pam valued their undead existence enormously, and I didn't want to see that taken from them. I also couldn't help but wonder what my own life would be like without Eric in it. Would Bill have survived what happened in Jackson? Would I?

We were all silent, sunk in our mutual angst, when my phone rang. I jumped up and dropped the Viking's hand, shooting an apologetic look at my guests. Vamp-Eric rolled his eyes and waved me away to answer the phone.

It was Jason. As much as I wanted to know why he hadn't dropped off my shopping yet, now really wasn't a good time.

"Hey I'm sorry I haven't been round yet. I ended up going shopping later than planned, and I only just got back, so I thought I'd come by first thing tomorrow morning."

I hoped that was true, and he wasn't staying away because he was still upset about our conversation earlier.

"Ok that's fine, thanks for letting me know Jason. I really have to go now, I'll see you tomorrow."

"No! Wait, Sookie. I'm calling about something else. Someone's looking for that guy you have staying with you – Eric."

I immediately felt all shaky, and I was glad the vampires were having their own discussion in the other room, and not paying attention to my phone call. This did not sound good. "What do you mean?" I tried to sound business-like, but my voice shook.

"There are posters up in a few places. There's a picture of him, but no name. Apparently he escaped from hospital and his family are really worried about him. It claims he's delusional and may be armed. Anyone who sees him is meant to call the number on the poster, and not approach him. They're offering $50,000 for any information." Jason sounded incredulous, and I was glad he hadn't bought the story on the posters. I wanted to make absolutely sure, though, that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Jason, none of that's true. Whatever you do, don't call that number. It's more important than ever that you don't tell anyone about Eric."

"Yeah I sort of gathered that. What do you want to do about this?"

"Nothing. As long as no one knows Eric is here, then the posters aren't going to help whoever's looking for him."

Jason was silent for a moment, and then blurted out, "Don't you think you should get paid for keeping him there? He should at least give you what you'd get for calling that number."

"Jason! I'm not helping Eric to get money out of it. I'll try and get his expenses covered, and my lost income if I have to miss any work, but that's it."

He groused a bit, but he knew how stubborn I could be, so he didn't keep on about it.

I really needed to get back and inform the others of this development. "Thanks for letting me know about this Jason, really. I appreciate it, and so will Eric. I really have to go now, but promise me you'll stay safe, and you won't do anything stupid?"

"Aw Sookie, I ain't that dumb, I can look after myself, and I didn't call the number did I?"

"Ok then, sorry, you're right. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow," he grumbled and then hung up.

I got off the phone and turned back to the living room to see human-Eric standing in the doorway, waiting for me. Evidently the idea of sitting with the vampires while they talked about him didn't appeal.

"That was your brother? Is everything ok?" He queried.

"Not really" I sighed. He looked at me curiously, and followed me back into the living room.

Pam and Eric kept talking and ignored us until I cleared my throat loudly and announced, "I have some bad news."

As I explained what Jason had told me, the two vampires started softly growling. When I'd finished speaking, vamp-Eric jumped up, his eyes wild and his fangs extended. "Your brother has seen my human self? Who else knows about him?" He was advancing on me angrily, and I felt more frightened of him even than the time he had threatened to torture me. At least then he seemed more in control of himself.

I tried to calm him. "Eric, chill. No one else knows except me and Jason, and we're not going to tell anyone. I made sure Jason understood how important this was to keep secret."

Pam spoke matter-of-factly, "We should take care of the problem." She flicked her eyes at me.

It took me a moment to understand what she was saying, and before I could react human-Eric was in front of me, pushing me down onto the sofa and standing between me and the vampires. He didn't even have his sword, which was in its scabbard, leaning against the fireplace.

"You cannot seriously mean to kill Sookie and her brother."

Pam responded to him, "They are poor, they need the money. They will turn you in." But she didn't make a move towards me, instead watching her maker to see what he would do.

Vamp-Eric was staring at me, his eyes hard and his body trembling with tension. He took a step towards me, his movement robotic.

The Viking moved forward a step too, adopting a fighting stance with his fists bunched. "You will not touch her."

His face impassive, vamp-Eric gripped the Viking's upper arm and flung him away like a rag doll. "Pam, hold him."

She responded instantly, appearing behind him and wrapping her arms around him as he jumped up. She held him gently, almost in an embrace, but he was effectively immobilised.

I was too terrified to move from my position on the sofa, and could only watch as vamp-Eric strode the remaining few steps and dropped to one knee in front of me. My heart was pounding and my breathing erratic as he reached out and grabbed my jaw, hard. He held my head immobile as he leaned forward and buried his nose in my hair, and then moved to my neck, inhaling deeply.

"No!" Human-Eric howled out in anguish, but he couldn't do anything.

I couldn't believe I was actually going to die, and that Eric would be the one responsible – but then, I'd always known that he'd never put my survival before his own.

Vamp-Eric suddenly pulled back a bit and inspected me, his eyes boring into mine intently. I let out a ragged sob, and tried to pull back from him. His grip only intensified, and the pain made my eyes water.

Finally, Eric released my jaw and his body relaxed. "I find that the idea of killing you makes me feel things I don't like. I could ask Pam to do it..."

I held my breath, waiting to hear what he would do.

"But I don't seem to enjoy that idea any better. I am unsure of what to do. This is unusual for me."

I let out a ragged breath, and spoke in a rush. "We won't tell anyone, I swear. I want to help him."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You trusted me in Jackson, and in Dallas."

"It was not my own existence at stake."

There was nothing more I could say, and I waited for his decision. After a while, he sighed deeply, and stood.

"I don't believe you will betray me. I trust you will monitor your brother's thoughts to ensure he tells no one."

I collapsed back into the sofa, weak with relief. I was shivering from the shock of my near death experience, and crying a little. Vamp-Eric looked at me with a regretful expression, and reached out to stroke my face. I flinched away involuntarily, and he took a step back, looking even more troubled.

"Pam. Release him."

As soon as she let him go, human-Eric was with me on the sofa, his arms around me and his head pressed against mine. He made soothing noises by my ear, and stroked my hair. His warmth enveloped me, and I felt safe and peaceful. After a moment, I recovered myself, and sat up fully, wiping my face with the back of my hand. Human-Eric withdrew his arms, but maintained his comforting closeness.

I tried to push past my terror and put on a brave face. "Right. So what's the plan? I am happy for him to stay here with me."

Pam gave her opinion, "I think that would be for the best, as we're not going to kill you anymore. I am glad; you are such a good source of entertainment." She smiled at me, as genuinely as I'd ever seen from Pam. It didn't seem at all weird to her that one moment she was ready and willing to see me dead, and the next she was joking with me and saying she was glad they weren't going to kill me. Vampires and their crazy mood swings!

Vamp-Eric agreed with Pam. "A human's house is best, so that he will be at least somewhat protected from vampires. The witches do not know he is here, and they have no reason to suspect he would be in Bon Temps. We will leave him with you, Sookie."

"I want some money." I demanded, determined to show I wasn't intimidated by the vampires and their death threats. "Just to cover his expenses, and also mine if I have to miss any work. That's reasonable."

Vamp-Eric was unperturbed, "I would be happy to pay you well for your assistance."

"No." I objected, firmly. "I don't want 'payment' – just my expenses."

"Very well. Send me a bill." He glanced at Pam. "We are done here."

Pam nodded and both vampires looked ready to leave, before I stopped them with a question. "So what exactly is going to happen now? What will you be doing while this Eric stays with me?"

I was answered by Eric's vampire self. "I am going to get in touch with supernaturals I can trust to help me with this. We should be able to arrange their cooperation in the hours left before dawn, and then tonight the hunt will start." He looked dangerous, and excited. "I will stay in touch, and come by to check on you." He hesitated, then said "I may require your help at some stage. Your telepathy could be useful."

I nodded resignedly, and waited for him to leave. He seemed to be waiting for something, however. Human-Eric was looking impatient, and I stared at his vampire self expectantly. Finally he spoke again.

"I am not happy about what transpired earlier." That was a nice way to refer to his nearly murdering me to keep me quiet. I kept my thoughts to myself, however, and he continued. "You do not need to fear me. I think now that I would not be able to kill you, even if I wanted to."

"Um... Thanks?" I responded awkwardly. It felt strange to thank someone for not wanting to kill me. I really just wanted him gone for the moment, so I could think.

He seemed to pick up on this, and nodded to me. "Until next time, Sookie" was his soft farewell, without his usual leer.

He walked past me, followed by Pam, and then I heard them stop before they reached the door. I turned to see Eric standing by the table, looking down at the pile of photos we had taken earlier. He picked one up and stood frozen for the longest time, staring at it with an indecipherable expression. Eventually, he looked back at me, and his human self next to me, before dropping the photo and striding out of the house.

Pam stayed for a moment. She looked amused and smiled at us both. "I think you two are cute together." Then she was gone too, and Eric and I both relaxed.

I got up and walked to the table, curious as to what had caused such a strange reaction in vamp-Eric. I picked up the top photo myself, and looked at it. It was the last one we took. Human-Eric had his arm around me really tight, pressing me against him. He was looking down at me with the brightest smile, and I was looking back up at him, staring into his eyes with a wondering expression, my cheeks flushed and my lips slightly parted. I hadn't looked at it before, and I was surprised by the intimacy of the moment. I couldn't help but think that it was that intimacy which had bothered vamp-Eric.

I figured Eric and I should take some time to unwind and discuss the evening's revelations before bed, so I grabbed a beer for him and an orange juice for me, and sat back down with him on the sofa. He took the beer without saying anything, and stared dejectedly at the floor in front of him.

It was obvious something was bothering him, but I wasn't sure what. I had thought he wanted to stay with me, so I didn't think he was upset about being left here. I wondered if he was missing his home. "What's wrong Eric, are you thinking about your family?"

"What? No." He kept staring at the floor for a moment longer, and then, "How can that vampire be me? I thought it would be bad enough becoming a blood drinking monster, leaving my family, and never seeing the sun again. But now, I don't even care about becoming a vampire. I just don't want to become him."

His voice was so forlorn, and his face anguished. My heart just broke for him. I wasn't sure how to fix something like this, or even how to offer comfort. I simply wrapped my arms around him as he continued, "He thinks it is stupid to care about bravery and honour. He is cold and unfeeling. He thinks nothing of forcing you to work for him, and he was willing to consider slaughtering you and your brother, despite everything you've done for him, and for me. You are good, and kind, and beautiful, and he would kill you, just to make himself a little safer. How could I let this happen to me, even in a thousand years?"

"Oh Eric..." I breathed out. I could understand his dismay – I certainly wouldn't want to become Eric Northman, scary and ruthless vampire Sherriff of Area 5. But I couldn't help but feel the vampire didn't entirely deserve the disgust his human self was feeling for him. Human-Eric didn't have the whole picture, and maybe I could give it to him, and it would help.

"Eric, listen." I took his free hand and pulled him to face me, so I could look into his eyes and make sure I was getting through to him. "As a vampire, you're a very complicated person. The observations you've made about your vampire self are only partly true."

I could see he wasn't at all reassured yet, so I continued, "Eric the vampire has survived for a thousand years. Do you know how incredible that is? Vampires often don't live very long, despite being immortal. Why do you think he's considered so old and powerful, if not because there are so few who make it to his age?"

"Survival is not everything. It is no good staying alive, if the price is becoming a monster."

"That's true, but the point I'm making is that it's been a real struggle for him to get to where he is today. The supernatural world is a dark, dangerous place. I'm told it was even more so before vampires revealed themselves to humans. You and I can only imagine the horrors vampire Eric has lived through. He couldn't have made it this far if he hadn't made survival his top priority, and become so darn good at it."

"He should have died honourably in battle, rather than changed who he is, who I am."

"But I don't think he did change who he is so much. I think he hid it."

Eric looked baffled. "What do you mean?"

"Vampire Eric can't afford any weaknesses, and he especially can't afford to let anyone know about them. You say he doesn't care about bravery and honour. I've seen him be brave. Not long ago, he came with me into the stronghold of an enemy. He would have been killed if he'd been discovered there. He's not afraid of a fight – in fact, he loves fighting. You say he's not honourable, and I'll admit he may have a slightly wonky sense of honour, but it's there. He's had me in a position before where he could have done pretty much anything he wanted to me, but I'd told him I trusted him not to take advantage of me, and he didn't, he kept me safe."

I was thinking of the orgy he'd gone to with me, when I'd needed a bodyguard, and how glad I was to have him there. Then I thought of all the other times he had looked out for me, and even saved my life. I shared this all with human-Eric, telling him about vamp-Eric staking Longshadow, helping me after the maenad attack, sheltering me with his own body during the attack in Dallas – even if he did have some ulterior motives then. I told him about my recent trip to Jackson, where vamp-Eric had swept me off the floor and taken care of me after I'd been staked. I was so grateful for that still – I knew he could have left me to die.

"But he seems so ruthless."

"He is ruthless. But there are some things, and some people, he cares about. He has such a cold exterior, because he can't let anyone know there is a lighter side to him. If his enemies knew that there was anyone he held dear, they would use them to get to Eric. If they knew that he could be anything other than a cold-hearted killing machine, they'd assume he'd gone soft, and try to kill him."

"How do you know this?" Eric was looking thoughtful now. He was a practical man, and clever, and he understood to a certain extent the need to behave differently in dangerous situations. Vamp-Eric's whole undead existence was a dangerous situation.

"The more I get to know the vampire you, and the more time I spend with him, the more opportunities I have to see what he keeps buried most of the time. I think he trusts me – well, I know he trusts me after tonight. He lets his guard down, ever so slightly, when it's just us. I think Pam sees that side of him too – she's very devoted to him."

"What is he like, when he is with you?"

"He's a lot like you, funnily enough."

Eric snorted in disbelief. "I doubt that very much."

"In the short time you've been here you've reminded me of him on several occasions. Vampire Eric has a great sense of humour. He's fun, and even a little silly sometimes. One of the best things about him is his energy and vitality. He has such a zest for life. He loves his vampire existence, and he enjoys everything about it. Other people might be tired of the world after a thousand years, but Eric finds it exciting. He is a good leader, and loyal to those he owes fealty to, and to those who work for him. Does that really sound so different to how you see yourself now?"

"Are you really saying that he hasn't changed at all? I don't see how that can be true."

"Of course he's changed. He's a vampire, and he's a thousand years old. He's changed in ways you and I can't even imagine. I'm sure he's done things we wouldn't _want_ to imagine. I'm not saying I always approve of his actions, and his attitude towards others. Hell, I'm so made about what almost happened tonight, I could spit. His moral compass is certainly a bit screwy by our standards, and he's arrogant and opportunistic. But a lot of what's you is still in there. Those things which are a really important part of you won't disappear, no matter how long you hang around on this earth."

Eric had put his beer down, and gone from looking miserable to looking hopeful. In the short time we'd spent together, I'd come to admire this man, and to care about his happiness. It was so important to me to comfort him, to make him see that his future was something he could look forward to. When I leaned closer to him and took his other hand, his breathing sped up and his eyes widened. I gripped his hands even harder, and said to him earnestly, "you're a good man Eric, and in many ways you will continue to be a good man, and you will still be so in a thousand years, no matter what happens to you."

As I finished talking I became acutely conscious of the position we were in, our hands clasped and our legs pressed together. My body felt hot everywhere we were touching, and I was once again mesmerised by his naked torso. We were leaning so close to each other that this time I really could have taken his nipple in my mouth with little effort, and I wanted to caress his hard, smooth shoulders. My lips parted, and I panted slightly.

I had told myself so many times that I wouldn't sleep with Eric just because I craved his beautiful body, but this time it was different. This was an Eric who didn't drive me crazy, who didn't have ulterior motives for everything he did. This was a vulnerable human Eric, who was practically the same age as me, and still so innocent and naive in many ways. This Eric was warm, and animated. He had a heart that beat and his skin was flushed with the heat of the moment.

I tore my eyes away from his chest to look up at him, and his burning gaze captured mine. He let go one of my hands, and brought his up to touch the side of my face, so lightly, with the tips of his fingers. I shivered at the spark that went through me at his touch, and before I knew what was happening he'd closed the distance between our faces, pressing his lips against mine.

We both pulled back immediately, and looked at each other in stunned silence. Then my body took over and I threw myself onto him, wrapping an arm around his back, and twining the fingers of my other hand into his long silky hair. My mouth moved over his hungrily, and I nipped and licked at his bottom lip, moaning as he returned my kiss with equal fervour.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me bodily onto his lap, with my knees on either side of his thighs. He started running his hands up and down my sides and growling softly as I slid my tongue into his mouth. It was strange at first, not having to work around fangs, but it was a nice kind of strange. His mouth was hot and tasted slightly sweet from the beer, and I resented the moments when we both had to pull back to breathe. His tongue caressed mine expertly, before pushing forward to explore my mouth in turn, and he moaned into me as I ground myself against the impressive bulge in his sweat pants. He responded by pulling me tighter against him, and grinding upwards, into my sensitive centre, causing me to thrash and growl in a totally animalistic way I'd never heard from myself before.

As I felt his erection pressed up against me, I was lost in a sea of lust. He was so ready, and so large. I'd known how huge that part of him was of course – I'd seen it, a couple of times – but to feel it pressing into me insistently made me shudder with anticipation. I groaned in frustration at the thickness of my jeans, and started running my hands over his upper body, desperate to touch all of him at once.

Eric stood up abruptly, his hands under my thighs, carrying me wrapped around him. I felt his arm muscles bunch and strain around me, and stopped kissing him to rub my face against his downy chest and nibble his shoulder, completely overawed and consumed by his masculinity.

He carried me slowly to my bedroom, and placed me on the bed. I spent about one second asking myself if I was really going to do this, before I let the sight of him standing before me push all my previous angst and concerns out of my head. He'd taken his one item of clothing off, and was finally revealed to me in all his glory. Unlike the night before, I didn't even consider looking away, but instead licked my lips and panted as I admired him. He was such a big man, in every way. He towered above me, and every inch of his tall, broad frame was toned and sculpted. His pale blond hair was mussed as it framed his impossibly handsome face, and his blue eyes were dark with hunger for me. His straining member jutted out from between his hips, the tip moist and glistening. My breath caught at the sheer beauty of him, and I couldn't wait any longer to press my naked body against his.

I made quick work of my t-shirt and bra, before lying back on the bed, pulling him with me. His body covered mine completely, his arms and shoulders a cage around me. He pushed himself up slightly to gaze in wonder at my breasts, before he leaned down and took one nipple in his mouth, sucking gently, while his large hand stroked up and down my naked torso before settling on the other breast, kneading it. I made desperate mewling noises and thrust my chest up, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling his head against my breast firmly. "More" I cried, hoarsely.

He responded by nibbling me harder, and then taking more of my breast into his mouth, as his hand travelled down to my fly. I let go his head for a moment to help him with my jeans, and then he pulled them off completely, so that there was nothing between him and me but my panties. He pulled them off too in feverish haste, and then touched my dripping, heated sex for the first time, just trailing his fingertips along it softly. His first feathery touch was like a jolt of electricity to my core, and I lost all control, bucking and writhing beneath him, demanding more friction.

He gradually intensified his movements, before slipping a finger into me, and then another, curling them slightly and pumping into me gently. At the same time, he rubbed my little bundle of nerves with his thumb, moving it in time with his fingers. He'd sat back slightly to watch my reactions, and when I opened my eyes he looked into them intently.

"Keep watching me." He instructed throatily, his husky voice sending shivers of pleasure down my spine, to join with the pleasure he was already creating in me. I pulled him down to me and did what I'd been thinking about all day, licking first one hard nipple, then the other, before biting one, gently. He groaned into the top of my head, and the movement of his fingers and thumb became more insistent. As I felt my pleasure nearing its peak, each wave coming faster and harder, I pulled his face back to mine and devoured his lips.

Then I reached that golden moment, and my eyes widened as I screamed into his mouth with the feel of it. I thrust my hips up at him, my whole body jerking uncontrollably, before I fell back, panting with my release.

Eric pulled his fingers from me, and I only felt the loss momentarily, since I knew what was coming now, and I wanted it desperately. While leaning above me on one arm, he wrapped his other hand around himself, and guided his throbbing erection to my entrance, as I lifted my hips and spread myself wider to welcome him. I gasped as I felt the thick head penetrate me, and then my body fell back into the bed and I grasped the sheets tightly, my eyes squeezed shut as I felt him pressing further into me. I'd never felt anything like it; his size stretched me to the point of being painful, and I whimpered.

He stopped for a moment. "Sookie, look at me."

I forced my eyes open and he smiled down at me and stroked my hair. "I want to see the look in your beautiful eyes when I am completely inside you. Are you alright?"

Despite my discomfort, I wanted the rest of him like I'd never wanted anything before, and I moaned out "Please...", grabbing his butt and pulling him into me.

He grinned, and resumed his entry, pushing slowly until out pelvises were pressed together, and he was fully sheathed inside me. Our eyes were locked at the moment of our joining, and we both sighed in relief at the fulfilment of it, remaining completely still for a moment, lost in the sensation, and in each other. I'd never felt such intimacy before, and I felt a sense of wonder as Eric began to move in me.

His gentle thrusts quickly became pleasurable, rather than painful, and then they weren't enough for me. I was so hungry for him I bucked my hips against him urgently, and tried to pull him deeper.

He suddenly sat up and grabbed my thighs, pulling me up, into him, to meet his thrusts as they became increasingly demanding. The new position allowed him even greater access, and I groaned and fisted my hands in my hair.

"Look at me Sookie." He panted, and I looked up to see him moving above me, his whole body matching the motion of his hips, as he took me harder and faster. I could feel him hitting the perfect spot inside me with every thrust, and I struggled to keep my eyes focused on him as I was consumed by the feel of my impending orgasm. This time when I reached the peak it was even more intense than the one before, and I came undone around him, crying out and raking his thighs with my fingers nails as my inner walls spasmed and my vision filled with streaks of light.

Eric bucked into me a few times more before he groaned and held himself still, completely imbedded within me. He shuddered and I felt him spill inside me, and then he collapsed onto his side and pulled me into him, burying his face in my hair and breathing deeply.

We both lay there quietly through our aftershocks, making small noises of pleasure, until we'd fully recovered from our lovemaking.

I felt Eric smiling into the back of my neck, and he spoke softly. "That was incredible. You're incredible."

I rolled over and cupped his face. "Eric, I don't have the words. Thank you."

He kissed me softly, sweetly, and I was reminded of why I was willing to do this with him, and not the other Eric. If this were vamp-Eric, he'd be crowing about how I'd finally 'yielded' to him, and saying it was only a matter of time, revelling in how irresistible he was. This Eric, although he certainly had an Eric-sized ego, did not feel the same sense of entitlement. To him I was not a prize to be won, or a victory to be celebrated after my persistent refusals finally gave way to acceptance. This Eric simply wanted me because he wanted me. I was not naive enough to think we had deep feelings for one another after spending only a day and a night together, but there was a closeness and consideration between us which I couldn't share with Eric's vampire self.

I sighed in contentment and wriggled closer to him, which caused his member to stir. As it rose again we looked at each other and grinned. I pushed him onto his back and straddled him, hissing in pleasure as I took him into me a second time, enjoying the fullness he made me feel. He reached behind me and cupped my cheeks as we began moving together. I knew I had to work the early shift the next day, and I'd be hellishly tired, but it was honestly the furthest thing from my mind right then.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks for your continued reviews, I love hearing your plot speculations, and your opinions on the characters are most helpful.

I have not gone into any detail about STIs and birth control in the Viking age. It seemed pointless and overly complicated. Sorry if this frustrates you.

Thanks as always to my fabulous beta, BathshebaRocks - the banana was her idea also :)

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I woke up with a naked man – a sexy Viking man – wrapped around me, and I immediately started replaying the previous night in my mind.

"Mmmm..." I smiled and moved my head slightly to kiss his chest.

"Good morning, my lover," he rumbled. Having just woken up, his voice was low and husky, and I felt a delicious tingle between my legs at the sound of it. He pulled me even closer and ran his hands down my body to stroke my ass. I reciprocated, appreciating the feel of his world-class behind beneath my hands, and thinking how much I enjoyed waking up to his warmth, and the strength of his arms.

Before we could get any further with our activities, I felt a sudden pang of guilt, remembering that we hadn't used any protection the night before. I'm usually a responsible person, but I really hadn't cared about anything after that first kiss, except having Eric inside me, as soon as possible.

Now I felt very immature, and a little ashamed. I didn't think I was likely to get pregnant on this occasion since I was due to get my period in a couple of days, but it was still stupid to take the risk. I briefly considered the possibility of STIs as well – did Vikings have such diseases? While I hadn't interrogated Eric about his sexual history, I was sure he was quite free in his exploits. In fact, he'd told me he was having sex with a 'serving wench' just before he got here. I was fairly sure though that most of the really nasty diseases we worry about these days had not existed until much later, so really my primary concern was preventing an unwanted pregnancy. It hit me for the first time how easy I had it when I was with Bill. Having sex with a vampire was much less complicated – until you considered all the other crap that came with it. But at least I never had to worry about safe sex. It kind of killed the moment.

Eric could tell I wasn't in the same mood he was anymore, and he pulled back a little to look at me carefully. "You are not regretting taking me into your bed, are you?" He looked unhappy, and somewhat annoyed.

I really and truly didn't regret it, only that I hadn't been better prepared, and I told him so. "Honestly, Eric, I would have 'taken you into my bed' sooner, if those witches had been nice enough to cast their spell before now."

We both had a bit of a laugh over that, even though it was grossly inappropriate to joke about the terrible situation both Erics were in. Vamp-Eric may have reconsidered his decision not to kill me, if he could have heard me make light of his plight like this. Well, screw him. Oh dear, that got me laughing again. I'd done that, just not the right 'him', as he would see it.

I realised I had to fill Eric in on my concerns. "While I don't regret that we slept together, I am disappointed in myself for forgetting about birth control."

His expression turned to one of comprehension, and he smiled widely. "This is what you are worried about? That you will have a baby? My lover, babies happen sometimes, it's not such a big problem. That's no reason to stop enjoying ourselves." Thinking he'd resolved my concerns, he moved in for a kiss, intent on continuing where we'd left off.

I pushed him away gently, determined to convince him of the necessity of using protection.

He gave in when he understood how serious I was. "I do not understand this great fear you have of getting pregnant, but if using this 'protection' means you will have sex with me again, then we will use it."

We got up without any further shenanigans, despite Eric's best efforts. Not only was I now feeling completely turned off by the excruciating conversation we'd just had, I was also mindful that I needed to get to work this morning.

I made extra for breakfast in case Jason turned up as promised, and then we discussed the plan for the day. I found it slightly easier to concentrate this time round, as I had coaxed Eric into experimenting with the knife and fork, and it wasn't a complete disaster.

Thankfully, describing my job was a much easier conversation than the one about safe sex, although Eric wasn't thrilled about the idea of me serving people. He knew better by now, though, than to try to impose his Viking ideals on me.

"I have to go to work soon, and I'll be gone for most of the day. Obviously you can't come with me. I'll show you how to use the TV, but other than that, I'm really not sure what you'll do all day. I'm really sorry to have to leave you like this. I'll ask Sam about working fewer shifts for a while."

"Don't worry, I will entertain myself by imagining all the things we'll do together when you come home to me." There were the waggly eyebrows I knew so well. I couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited at the prospect of having Eric on me and in me again.

He was stroking my thigh, and I had just leaned forward for a kiss when Jason's truck came down the drive. As much as I regretted the interruption, I was happy I hadn't scared my brother away for good with the Crystal conversation. Plus, it would be a relief to have some essentials for Eric, including something to wear other than ill-fitting sweatpants. It was winter, after all, even though Eric seemed to cope quite well with the cold.

Jason came bounding up the steps with lots of bags. He'd really gone all out on the clothing – I was relieved I'd thought to bring up expenses with vamp-Eric the night before.

"Hey Jason, I'm glad you made it. I have to head out real soon, but do you want some breakfast?"

"Hey, little sister." He folded me into a hug, which was unexpected but nice, and plonked himself down near Eric. "Yeah actually, some food would be amazing right now." He turned to Eric, and greeted him warily. "Hey man, how've you been? Not getting into any more trouble, I hope?"

Eric smiled wryly, "it is difficult to get myself into trouble when I have been confined to this house." Then he gestured to the bags Jason had brought with him. "I understand you have brought more appropriate clothing for me. I will be much happier when I do not have to wear these ridiculous trousers." He obviously remembered, then, that they were Jason's sweat pants, and looked embarrassed, "Not that these are all bad. They are a nice material. And they are an interesting colour."

They weren't, they were light grey.

Jason gave Eric a funny look, and then obviously decided to put his weird behaviour down to his being foreign. "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry I didn't bring this stuff by yesterday. Hey it must be a real bummer being stuck here all day, I hadn't even thought of that. You must be bored out of your mind."

Eric turned to where I was serving up Jason's breakfast and patted my bum lightly, leering at me when I whirled around angrily. "Not really, I find Sookie very entertaining."

I almost dropped the plate I was holding from shock, and then I wanted to smash it over his head. "Eric! That is just... Oh my god..." I looked everywhere except at Jason.

Jason was just as disturbed, and he took a moment to respond. "Dude, that is not cool."

Eric was looking flustered now too, not sure where he'd gone so wrong. "Was I not meant to have sex with your sister?"

It was laugh or cry, so I had to laugh. We would obviously need to work on his social etiquette.

Thank goodness Jason obviously had a high tolerance for things he considered 'foreign weirdness', or he would have punched Eric for sure, regardless of how big and scary the Viking looked. His voice strained, he answered, "Sookie's a grown woman, I suppose she can do whoever, uh, whatever she wants. But I don't want a blow by blow, ok?" I cringed at his choice of words, and his face heated up too.

I patted a bewildered-looking Eric on the head as I handed Jason his plate. "Don't worry honey, just let's keep that kind of thing between the two of us from now on, ok?"

With that bit of awkwardness out of the way, Eric left to try on his new clothes, and Jason chatted with me while he ate. "I'm glad you warned me away from that Crystal chick."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, well, I told her over the phone that I couldn't see her again, right after I left here yesterday. That's actually why I didn't go into town till later. Not long after we talked, she turned up at my house."

I didn't like where this was going. "What did she want? Did she hurt you?"

He glared at me. "Sookie, you think I can't handle myself around a little girl like Crystal? No, she didn't hurt me. She just spent ages on my door step arguing with me over not seeing her anymore. In the end she started taking her clothes off, on my porch, so I told her I'd call the police. Then she slapped me and said I'd be sorry, and stormed off. She's obviously a whole lot of crazy, so I'm glad I didn't get involved with her, human or not."

I was worried about her threat that 'he'd be sorry'. I knew she could make good on that, if she really meant to. "I hope you'll be careful, and keep an eye out for any funny business. Keep your doors locked, that kind of thing," I warned him.

Jason leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. "You really think I got something to worry about, here?"

"I don't know Jason, I hope she was just being emotional. But you need to know, she could be dangerous."

"Ok, well if it'll make you feel better I'll make sure I've always got a gun on hand." Having dealt with the issue, he brushed past it and became light hearted again. "So, you and Eric, huh?"

I couldn't really deny it now, and I didn't have any reason to. "Yeah, he's actually been really sweet, while he's been here. I like him. I enjoy spending time with him."

"It seems awful quick after Bill."

I waved my finger at him sternly, "Jason Stackhouse, you of all people are not in a position to judge me."

"It's not quite the same thing, Sookie..."

I waved a spatula threateningly, and he backed down, "but I guess I see your point." He thought for a moment, and added grudgingly, "I'm happy for you, if you're happy."

That was the best I was going to get, so I smiled at him. "Thanks Jason, yeah I am happy, really happy."

Eric chose this moment to re-enter the kitchen, wearing jeans and flip flops and a bright green t-shirt which hugged his biceps. Now that he was dressed normally, I was unnerved again by just how much he looked like vamp-Eric. If it weren't for the sunlight streaming through the windows, I would have offered him a bottle of blood.

He grinned when he noticed my inspection, and struck a few poses for me. "Do you like my new clothes, Sookie?"

I shook off the weird feeling – it was a bit late to freak out about his relation to vamp-Eric now. "You look great." I got up and kissed him on the cheek, chastely. "Now I really have to go, but I'll be back this afternoon.

Eric wasn't satisfied with my goodbye kiss, and pulled me closer. Thankfully, Jason coughed to remind us of his presence. "So I guess I'll get going now too. Thanks for breakfast."

I pushed Eric away, blushing, and turned to deal with Jason. "That's alright, thank you for the shopping. Let me know how it goes with Crystal ok? Give me a call any time, if anything weird happens."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. But yeah, I'll call you." He started to leave but stopped at the door. "Hey, I'm not doing much this afternoon, so why don't I come round and keep Eric company? Give us a chance to get to know each other?"

I was touched that he wanted to get to know the man I was seeing, and it would be good for Eric to have some company. Eric, on the other hand, didn't look so convinced. He didn't have a very high opinion of my brother, so far. I nudged him, hard, and he replied "Ah, yes, I would like to get to know you better. Thank you."

Jason grinned, oblivious. "Great, all sorted then. See you later."

After he left I made time for a very quick make out session with my new Viking lover, and then I was off to work, only a few minutes late.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Merlotte's was one of the posters Jason warned me about. My heart rate increased and I looked around nervously, as if whoever put it there might still be around. I reminded myself that I already knew about the posters, and there wasn't any way the witches could know Eric was in Bon Temps. They were just being thorough.

"Sookie?" Sam pulled me out of my little panic attack, and I gave him a bright smile, hoping he wouldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. I certainly didn't want him to know that the poster had me worried – he might realise I knew something about it.

"Good morning Sam! How are you today?"

"I'm alright. You seem in a good mood." Actually, he sounded a little suspicious, like he hadn't bought my 'everything is fine' act. He looked pointedly at the poster, as if daring me to mention it.

"Oh, you know, just feeling excited about it being a New Year and all. Can I talk to you in your office quickly before I start?" I desperately wanted to find out who put the poster up, but I couldn't ask him outright. I trusted Sam completely, but it was best for everyone if he didn't know I had Eric... Well, one of the Erics.

I followed him to his office and sat down across from him, still smiling a bit too much. His nostrils flared a little and he narrowed his eyes – not angry, but thoughtful. I didn't know a lot about shifter senses, but I figured all he could tell was that I'd been in close contact with a man. For all he knew, I'd hugged one of our customers. He didn't ask, but gestured for me to talk.

"Well Sam, I was wondering if I could work a few less shifts for a while? I'm really feeling exhausted after everything that's happened to me recently, and I could do with some time to myself, to just relax." While I was talking I was trying to get anything useful I could from Sam's head, but of course his thoughts came across brokenly, at best, and he wasn't thinking about the poster.

Sam's face softened. "I can really understand that, Sookie. I'm glad you want to look after yourself a bit better. Are you sure you don't want to just take some holiday?"

I thought about it. I wasn't sure how long Eric would be here, and I didn't want to take a whole month off, even though vamp-Eric had said he would pay for it. "I'm really tempted, but how about I just do the odd day here and there, and we'll see how it goes?"

"That's fine, and you just let me know if you need anything else." He sounded so concerned, I felt kind of bad for deceiving him.

In a bid to hear his thoughts more clearly, I reached across the table and put my hand on his.

"Thanks Sam, I really appreciate you doing this for me. You're a good boss and a good friend." I could hear now that he liked my hand on his, and he was really happy I was taking some time off for my sake, but he would miss me.

Trying to be subtle, but probably failing miserably, I said, "So that's weird about that poster. It looks so much like Eric, but it doesn't sound like him at all."

"Oh you noticed that? Yeah, it seems pretty suspicious to me too. I wonder what that vampire is up to now. I really hope he hasn't involved you in whatever it is." He gave me a look that suggested he was pretty sure I _was_ involved, and he wasn't happy.

I mentally pumped my fist though when he thought back to the scary looking woman who had asked to put the poster up, and how she'd asked him if he'd seen Eric, or anything suspicious. He'd played dumb, and agreed to put up the poster so that she'd leave without causing any trouble. He knew she was a Were, and thought she was bad news. I was relieved that she didn't appear to have singled out this bar, but was simply checking everywhere.

Sam had started to look at me curiously, and I realised I was still touching his hand, which must have seemed kind of weird. I patted it and stood up, "Oh no, not me. I've had enough of vampires and their problems for the moment. Thanks again Sam, for being so understanding about the time off."

He didn't say anything, but gave me a hard stare, clearly not believing me for a minute. I left his office quickly and got back to work before he could keep questioning me.

With so much on my mind, I found the rest of the day passed very quickly. I spent a lot of time wondering how vamp-Eric would react if he found out I was sleeping with his human self. I couldn't help but snigger a bit when I imagined how chagrined he'd be that I had at last yielded to him and he hadn't even been there to enjoy it.

What if he was angry though? I'd had some experience with angry vamp-Eric, and he was terrifying. On the other hand, what did he have to be angry about? I knew he'd be disappointed if I started a relationship with someone else, because _he_ wanted to have sex with me. However, he didn't have any claim on me, and he'd never given me any indication that he'd try to control my interactions with other men, much as he might wish to. He'd probably take it more personally though, considering who I was sleeping with. Sure, he might feel a bit smug that I was at least having sex with some version of him, but he'd probably also be pissed off that I'd chosen his inferior human self, as he saw it.

I resolved not to concern myself with it. My sex life was really none of his business, and if he didn't like it, that was just too bad. Technically, he'd actually initiated this relationship as a human, so he could hardly complain about it now, just because he was a thousand years older, and a vampire.

That wasn't the end of my concerns though. I'd just started some kind of relationship with a time travelling Viking who had to return to his own time, in a month at most. It wasn't that I was considering backing out of it now, and I certainly didn't regret sleeping with human-Eric, as I'd told him. For one thing, I'd really missed sex. Now that I knew what I'd been missing all those years as a virgin, going without again was difficult. Then there was the fact that Eric was a spectacular bed partner. He was gorgeous, he had very impressive equipment, and he was both skilled and generous.

However, if I was honest with myself, my reasons for sleeping with him went beyond the fact I was sex-deprived and lusted after him. He was someone I could really see myself in a relationship with – someone I _wanted _to be in a relationship with. That right there was what had me worried. If it wasn't just sex, then how would I feel when he left? What was I thinking, getting close to a man I could never keep? The idea of human-Eric leaving my life forever already made my eyes sting a little. I knew I wasn't going to be in good shape when he left if my feelings for him grew any more.

I had a sudden wild thought that he could stay with me. He could stay here forever, and we could have a family, and I could teach him all about the 21st century. He was clever; he could do all sorts of great things with his life. I knew he didn't want to become a vampire, and this way he wouldn't have to. He would be upset that he'd never see his family again, but if he went back he'd have to leave them anyway. The idea just seemed so perfect, I found myself smiling and humming a happy tune.

Then I thought of vamp-Eric. He had a life he loved, that he'd worked hard for. He had a thousand years worth of experiences behind him. He'd seen the world change. Was it fair to expect him to give that up? There were no doubts in vamp-Eric's mind that being a vampire was a good thing. He'd lived through it all and made the decision that he liked things as they were. Human-Eric on the other hand hadn't had the chance to experience life as a vampire. If he made the decision to stay here, it would be an uninformed decision. He'd be robbed of his future, without even understanding what that meant. I couldn't be that selfish, could I?

Unfortunately, my preoccupation didn't just make my day go fast, it also made me incredibly distracted. I made lots of silly mistakes in my work, walking into people and dropping things and bringing the wrong meals out. I even had a few awkward situations where I accidently answered what people were thinking. It had been a long time since I'd last done that. I could tell Sam was frustrated with me, but since I'd just told him I needed some time to recover from my recent vampire-related traumas, I at least had a good excuse for my behaviour.

To my relief, Sam was able to send me home early. I was glad, because I was keen to get back and check on Eric as soon as possible, and I had to go into town quickly before I went home. I wanted to pick up some condoms, as I didn't think I'd be able to keep putting Eric off the way I had this morning. I had also thought to make a doctor's appointment in my break, so I could get a prescription for the contraceptive pill – I didn't have any experience with condoms, and I wasn't sure how well they'd work out. In addition, I needed to pick up some food items, and shower products to replace those Eric had all but used up.

I hurried through all my tasks, because I was really quite nervous about leaving Eric home alone, and even more nervous about him spending time with Jason. The condom selection really couldn't be rushed though. I couldn't believe how many different kinds there were. I was trying to be mature, and not embarrassed about making what was a perfectly normal, responsible purchase. However, when I saw some of the more exotic options, I found myself blushing furiously, and backing away quickly in case someone thought I was considering buying something so kinky. It didn't help that the girl at the checkout raised her eyebrow and then winked at me when she saw I'd chosen the extra large kind. Collecting my prescription for the contraceptive pill was much less eventful, and I was pleased to hear that the contraceptive pill would be effective from the first day I took it, if I started it along with my period.

I made it home when it was still light, and I had a while to spare before I needed to make a start on dinner. As I pulled up outside the house, I saw that Jason's truck was still here. Obviously nothing too bad had happened with Eric, if he hadn't felt the need to leave early.

I reassessed this conclusion when I entered the house, and saw the state the kitchen was in. There were screwed up chip packets, empty beer cans and, yes, an empty 7up bottle littering the floor and forming a trail into the living room. I could hear the TV, and loud hoots of laughter from both men. I sighed, and walked in to interrupt their little party.

"Hi guys, looks like you had a good afternoon."

As soon as I spoke Eric whirled around with a goofy grin on his face, and then he leapt off the sofa and scooped me up, spinning me around. "Sookie, my lover! I missed you!" He tried to kiss me sloppily as I fended him off, and then he pouted for a moment until he and Jason erupted into laughter again – I have no idea over what.

"Hey Sookie! You've got a great guy here!" Jason enthused.

While I wasn't particularly happy about the drunkenness, the mess, or the 7up, I was relieved that Eric was safe, and had apparently been kept very entertained. It had been hard to leave him all alone with nothing to do all day. "So you had a nice afternoon then?" I checked.

"Yes, your brother is not nearly as irritating as I thought, and only a little more stupid. He taught me about 'football', which we watched, and we ate delicious chips, and drank alcoholic substances all afternoon."

I was appalled that he would be so rude about my brother right in front of him – no amount of Viking bluntness could excuse that, as I'm sure they didn't outright abuse each other where he came from. But before I could say anything Jason started laughing again.

"Hey man, I warned you what would happen if you called me stupid again."

"It is not my fault you are lacking in intelligence, I am merely speaking the truth." Both men were grinning; evidently this was a game of some kind.

"That's it!" Jason jumped over the back of the sofa and they started wrestling on the floor. Now that I was seeing this, I realised their play fighting was what had caused a lot of the mess.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from them, beginning the job of tidying up all their rubbish. But as soon as he saw what I was doing, Eric pushed Jason away and jumped up. "This is our mess, we will tidy it."

Jason looked less than agreeable, but Eric kicked him lightly in the side and then pulled him up. "Your sister has been working all day, it is not right to make her clean up our mess... Besides, if she gets too angry, she may not have sex with me once you have left."

Jason reached up and smacked Eric in the side of the head, but he was snickering and didn't seem genuinely angry. I guess he'd gotten over Eric's propensity to share. I shook my head at the sight of my brother beating up on the enormous muscle-bound Viking. Eric's only reaction was to smirk and shove him away. The consequences of hitting vamp-Eric would have been quite different.

While the two men tidied, stopping frequently to resume their wrestling match, I took advantage of their distraction to smuggle the condoms and contraceptive pills into my bedroom. Eric may be happy discussing our sex life with Jason, but I was not.

When the house was looking a bit nicer, Jason started making noises about leaving. I slapped my forehead in frustration and lectured him, "You know you can't drive anywhere, you can't even be trusted to walk straight, let alone get that truck home in one piece. You'll have to stay here."

Jason looked confused, and then smiled stupidly, "huh, yeah, you know I didn't think of that."

Seeing that Eric was focused on the TV, Jason leant closer to me and said quietly, "Eric is

_awesome_, but I've gotta ask ya... Why does he close his eyes when he's drinking beer? Is it a Swedish thing?"

I snuck a look at Eric and giggled. I didn't want to explain Eric's issues with fizzy drinks, so I agreed "yeah, you know what those crazy foreigners are like..." Jason just nodded understandingly.

After dinner I decided it was time to tackle the problem of Eric's bad eating habits since he'd been here. "Eric, you shouldn't eat chips and drink 7up all the time. It's not good for you."

"But they are _very_ good." He looked at me like I was spouting nonsense. I guess when you worked hard for everything you ate, and had to go without sometimes, the idea that people could have so much food available to them that it made them ill was hard to understand.

"Yes, they taste nice, and they are great as a treat. But if you eat them all the time you could get diabetes, and heart problems, and all sorts of other health issues."

Jason snorted. "You don't need to worry about your man getting fat. Look at him. Clearly he knows how to keep himself in shape."

I frowned at him – he wasn't helping. "I don't want Eric developing any health problems while he's here. He won't be able to get any treatment for them where he's from."

Jason screwed up his face in confusion, "in Sweden?"

I could have kicked myself. That was a major slip up. Not even my brother was dumb enough to believe there was no health care available in Sweden.

Luckily for me, Eric had sobered up a bit and he realised the problem. He smoothly interrupted, "I understand my lover, I will only eat chips with Jason, and I will stop drinking 7up, for a little while."

He beamed at me and I couldn't resist him when he leaned in for a kiss. Our smooching session made Jason forget all about the conversation, as he made disgusted noises and told us to get a room.

"Yes," said Eric, standing up and lifting me with him, bridal style, "we really must go to Sookie's room, immediately." I fired some instructions at Jason about setting himself up on the sofa as Eric carried me away – I certainly didn't want Jason in the room across the hall from us.

As soon as the door was closed behind us, Eric pressed me against it. He was kissing my lips and grinding against me, and it was easy to get caught up in the whole thing. I knew it was time for the condom talk though, so I pulled my mouth away from his and put my hands on his shoulders to stop him. He just moved his mouth to my neck, and started kissing me there, while his hands pulled at my clothing.

I gave him a little shake. "Eric, we need to take a break."

"Mmm, no we don't."

"Yes, we do. Remember how we talked about using protection?"

That pulled him out of his haze of lust, just a little. "Oh, yes, where is it?" he asked, casting his eyes around the room. "We will make use of it now."

I was able to untangle myself from him, and I got out my box of extra large condoms, and a banana.

Eric frowned in confusion. He recognised the banana from his breakfast that morning. "You brought a banana? You did not eat enough at dinner?"

"It's not to eat, just let me explain."

"You want to do something else with the banana?" He looked surprised, but not unwilling.

"No!" I'd had enough human-Eric exposure now that I didn't even blush. I just gestured for him to sit next to me, and got out a condom. "We're going to use this so that you don't get me pregnant, but I wanted to show you how it works first, since I know how new this is to you." I didn't mention it was new to me too; how hard could it be to put a condom on, really?

I pulled out the little circle of rubber, and tried not to be disgusted by how gooey it felt. I suppose I would be glad for that when it was in use. Eric watched in interest as I picked up the banana again and made sure I had the condom the right way up. Then I carefully rolled it onto the banana, and looked back up at Eric for his response.

"Absolutely not."

"Wha...?"

"I will not let you dress me up in that, that... ridiculous penis hood thing." He looked extremely disturbed, and not the least bit aroused anymore.

I edged closer to him, and spoke slowly and convincingly, "Come on Eric, it's not going to hurt you, and we can't have sex without it."

I'd almost reached him but he jumped up, away from me. "No! I don't like it at all! I didn't agree to this!"

"Actually, you did. You said we would use protection."

"I did not realise it would involve this sort of interference with a very important body part. I don't trust it. You will just have to get pregnant."

"Eric, sweetie, please."

"No woman! We will not talk about this any further." He stood as far away from me as he could get, watching me carefully as I sighed and chucked the banana, and the box of condoms, into the wastebasket. Evidently, we wouldn't be using any.

I was fairly disappointed, but I could understand it. I didn't really like the look of them either, and Eric was from the Viking age, after all.

He still looked a bit frightened, and unhappy, so I pulled him away from the wall and gave him a hug. "It's ok Eric, the condoms are gone. We won't mention them again."

As I stroked his back and nuzzled his shoulder he moved his arms up and wrapped them around me. It wasn't long before he moved one arm down to cup my ass, pulling me closer to him.

He started kissing my neck and shoulder again, "Mmm, Sookie, I have been thinking about this all day."

I stroked him through his pants, and found he was rock hard – evidently he'd fully recovered from his scare. "I have to admit, I've been thinking about this too. I found it very difficult to concentrate at work."

He pulled my top off over my head, and then stared helplessly at my bra. His eyes lit up when I took it off, exposing my breasts to him, and he immediately leaned in to suckle them, one after the other.

As much as I wanted to continue with this, I needed to set some ground rules. "We can't actually have sex, without protection."

Eric pulled back abruptly, dismayed. "But I thought that we decided..."

I cut him off before he could get too worked up. "I have something else." I could see he was getting ready to object again, so I pressed on quickly, "but it doesn't have anything to do with you, it's just something I swallow."

He looked relieved, "So swallow it then."

"That's the thing. I can't take it until tomorrow, most likely, and then we won't be able to have sex for a few days after that."

"_Why not?_"

"Because it'll be a bad time... I'll have my period."

"Oh," He said, deflated, "I guess that is alright then."

He looked so disappointed, I couldn't bear it. I pushed him back onto the bed, and grinned down at him as I undid his jeans. "But we can do other things."

"Oh yes!" He responded enthusiastically, and then, "_oh, yes_" in a different tone of voice when I took him in my mouth.

I stopped abruptly, and he grunted in protest. When I jumped up and started putting my clothes back on, he looked at me like he couldn't believe it. "Sookie? I was enjoying what you were doing, why did you stop?"

"There's someone here. A vampire." As I had relaxed and gotten in the mood, my shields had slipped, and I'd become aware of a void, somewhere outside the house.

Eric immediately tucked himself back in and followed me, silent and serious, as I made my way to the front door. I ignored Jason's confused questioning and went straight past him and into the kitchen. There was no one outside.

I could tell the vampire was still out there somewhere and, knowing they would hear me, I called out. "Who is it? Eric? Bill?" I didn't dare get any closer to the door.

As soon as I spoke, the void was gone.

Thoroughly spooked, I turned to Eric. "I'm calling Eric. The other Eric."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Thanks as always for your reviews, I love reading all of them, but especially the ones with meaningful feedback.

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks - she does a great job.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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Eric looked unhappy, but nodded, "I guess you had better." Before I could pick up the phone, he added, "I don't like the fact that we must rely on him for protection. Can we not assemble some of these items which you say can weaken or kill a vampire? I want to be able to fight them, if need be. It will do us no good to sit trembling in this house while we wait for that vampire to rescue us."

"You know, that's a really good idea. But fighting a vampire should be a last resort – it really is smarter to stay inside and call vampire Eric."

"Very well," he agreed reluctantly, "as long as we make sure we are prepared."

With that resolved, I turned back to the phone and called Fangtasia. I really ought to get another number for vamp-Eric – I may need to get in touch with him in a hurry, and calling his bar was far from ideal.

Luckily I got through to Eric without much delay. He sounded pleased to hear from me, and had apparently recovered from his bad mood of the night before.

"Sookie, what can I do for you? Is the Viking not behaving himself? I can do something about that, you know."

He sounded entirely too gleeful at the prospect, and I hurried to cut him off before he got too far with that thought. "No! no, he's fine, he's a real gentleman. That's not why I'm calling. There was a vampire here just now."

"What do you mean?" All the fun disappeared abruptly from his voice, leaving it cold.

"I could sense a vampire outside, you know, because of the void. When I went to the door there was no one outside, and when I asked who it was, they left."

Eric wasn't saying anything. "Eric? Hello? Was it something to do with you?"

"No."

That wasn't very reassuring. "So what do you want to do about it?"

"I am coming there. I will investigate." He hung up. Vampire phone manners left a lot to be desired. Actually, vampire manners in general left a lot to be desired.

Human-Eric had started pacing, obviously unhappy about the return of his vampire self. I reached out a hand to stop him just as Jason walked in.

"What's up with you guys? Eric you look tense."

Oh shit. I'd momentarily forgotten about Jason. I didn't know how I was going to explain the situation to him when vamp-Eric got here. Also, vamp-Eric may have changed his mind about killing my brother, but having them here together was just asking for trouble.

"We've got a visitor coming," I answered, wondering how to continue.

"At this time of night? Is there something wrong?"

"Not exactly. It's Eric's relative, you know, the one I'm friends with?" Hah! Friends? After last night? I'd never been more unsure of the relationship between vamp-Eric and myself. "The thing is, he's also Bill's boss... and he's a vampire."

Jason's mouth formed an 'O', and he went quiet for a moment. Then he turned to Eric and asked, "you've got a vampire in the family? Wow, that's... interesting. Are you close?"

The corner of Eric's mouth twitched up. "I guess you could say we are very close, but we do not get on at all well." Jason quirked an eyebrow at him, and Eric added defensively, "It's entirely his fault."

"Huh, well, I guess it makes sense then that he'd visit this time of night."

I chose this moment to butt in, in the hope I could convince them both to behave. "Jason, you need to be really respectful. Don't assume he's anything like Eric, just because they're... related. In fact, the less you talk the better, quite frankly."

While Jason spluttered indignantly I started on Eric. "Please don't go out of your way to make him angry. I know he can't kill you, but he can make your life very unpleasant." I gave him a shy smile, "I'd be kind of upset if anything bad happened to you."

Eric's scowl over my lecture turned to a sly grin, and he pulled me into him. "Is that your way of telling me you care for me?" he whispered in my ear in a way that made me shiver.

I reluctantly pulled back. "Let's not rub this in his face" I said, gesturing between us. "If he finds out on his own, then that's fine. It's none of his business and we shouldn't have to worry about his opinion on our relationship. However, I have no idea what his reaction is going to be, and I see no point in deliberately upsetting him."

"But I want to tell everyone that we care for each other, and you are my woman, as I am your man. I don't want to hide anything." I was feeling all warm and fuzzy over how sweet that was, when his face darkened and he continued, "besides, I do not like the way he looks at you, or how he makes you feel uncomfortable all the time. I will tell him to back off."

Yeah, that would be a great way to avoid upsetting vamp-Eric – not . "Sweetie, I understand how you feel, really I do. I don't want us to hide anything either, and we won't. But we don't have to just come out and tell him about it. I certainly don't want you telling him to 'back off' either, I can handle him myself." I gave him a stern look, and he gave in with bad grace, crossing his arms and nodding slightly.

Vamp-Eric showed up not long after. Obviously he'd flown – he must have been pretty worried about the strange vampire. Jason, human-Eric and I had been sitting at the kitchen table waiting for him, and he swept in and joined us.

Immediately he turned to Jason, "you must be Sookie's brother. Jason, yes?"

Jason was looking at him wide-eyed, with his mouth hanging open. It was pretty freaky to be confronted with both Erics for the first time. I wondered what he was making of it. After a moment, he registered the question, and nodded slowly in response.

Vamp-Eric leaned in close to him and bared his fangs in his face. Jason gulped audibly, and human-Eric and I tensed.

The vampire spoke low and menacingly. "Your sister has guaranteed that you will tell no one of the Viking's presence here," he nodded in human-Eric's direction. "I trust that you need no further persuasion to keep this situation to yourself?"

I could tell he wasn't glamouring Jason, and I briefly felt good about the trust he was placing in me, as he'd said he would last night. I was still very uncomfortable with the situation though, and I spoke to draw the vampire's dangerous attention away from my brother.

"Any thoughts on that vampire I sensed outside?"

He whipped around to look at me, and his expression turned to a leer as he inhaled deeply. "Mmmm, Sookie, you smell like me. I like it."

"Hah, well, I am living with you at the moment, or at least the human version, so I suppose that's to be expected." I kept my face expressionless with great effort, but vamp-Eric narrowed his eyes at me in suspicion.

"You are nervous. What are you nervous about?"

Damn! Stupid vampire blood. Vamp-Eric had moved his gaze to his human self now, and suspicion had changed to full on, eye-twitching fury. He looked like he was about to climb over the table and bury his fangs in human-Eric. The Viking, in turn, looked like he would welcome a physical confrontation, his face smug, and his body tensed.

I knew now that it was definitely for the best if vamp-Eric didn't find out about my relationship with human-Eric just yet. Jason, for a wonder, had clearly come to a similar decision, and was sitting well back, not wanting to get involved at all.

Trying my best to behave as though I hadn't noticed the interaction between the two Erics, I forced a laugh, "We _have_ just been visited by an unknown and possibly hostile vampire, you know. It would be strange, surely, if I wasn'tnervous. I was hoping you could do something to set my mind at rest."

"Yes. Yes, of course. The mystery vampire." He answered, distracted. He was still staring at human-Eric, though with less hostility now.

"Well?" I prompted.

Finally he seemed to come to a decision, and his body relaxed. He stood up and made for the door. "I will check your property to see if the vampire left any evidence of themselves. Or maybe I will recognise the scent."

As soon as he was gone Jason started talking. "You guys didn't tell me Eric's vampire relative was his twin! Shit. This is crazy. Any other weird surprises you wanna spring on me?"

I'll admit that it might have been a good idea to prepare him for the resemblance. In our defence though, it had to be seen to be believed.

"Actually..." Eric cleared his throat and looked sheepish, "There is something. His name is Eric also."

"Right. That's... weird. Is this another Swedish thing? Like closing your eyes when you drink beer?"

Now Eric was the one looking confused, but before I could try to explain, vamp-Eric was back. He didn't sit with us this time, but stood in the doorway looking unhappy.

"There was definitely a vampire here." Well, _duh_. "Whoever it was left very little trace of themselves. I couldn't catch the scent well enough to identify it." Now he looked really grim. "I have no idea who it could have been, or why they were here."

I decided it was time to tell vamp-Eric about the witch's visit to Bon Temps, as it may have been related. "I found out today that someone came into Merlotte's recently and put up one of those posters."

The vampire inhaled sharply, and hissed out, "When was this? Who was it?"

I explained what I had seen in Sam's head, including the fact that the woman did not appear to be singling out Bon Temps in particular. As I'd suspected, my description of the witch matched Hallow.

"How is it," fumed vamp-Eric, "that she can flit in and out of establishments all over Louisiana, and yet none of my contacts have found any trace of her?"

"Well you haven't exactly been looking for long, have you?" I asked, reasonably.

"I don't like this situation. With that witch sniffing around Bon Temps, and an unknown vampire watching your house, we may have to move him." He gestured to human-Eric.

The Viking stood up abruptly, scowling deeply. "I am not going anywhere. If a vampire attacks, I will stake it." There was a challenge in his voice, and it was clear there was more than one vampire he was willing to stake.

It was not a good time to antagonise vamp-Eric, who was already spoiling for a fight. The Viking found himself pinned against a wall, struggling for breath, for the second time. Vamp-Eric didn't even bother to verbalise his threat, but just growled in his face, tightening his hold when his human-self would not immediately submit.

The first time I saw vamp-Eric treat his human self like this I thought it was cruel and unnecessary. This time, I was angry and concerned. I didn't like seeing my Viking being roughed up.

Jason was looking anxious and unsure. He clearly felt he should be stepping in to help his new friend, but he'd engaged his brain for once and realised what a futile and dangerous attempt it would be. I shook my head at him and he relaxed somewhat, with a relieved but guilty expression.

I stepped forward to try to talk some sense into vamp-Eric. "Eric, stop." I directed my words to the vampire. "I know that this is a difficult situation, but there's still no point in moving him. Hallow doesn't know he's here, and we've got no idea who that vampire was and whether they really pose a threat. Yes, we should assume the mystery vampire is an enemy of yours, for safety's sake, but even so, where would you move your human self too? He still can't live with you, or Pam, or any other vampire who works for you. I doubt there are any other humans you would entrust him to. I'll know if that vampire comes back, and I can contact you straight away. He's still safe here, for now."

"Fine," he spoke without looking away from the Viking, "but I would like to know why you are so desperate to have him stay here with you. Is there something I should know?" His hold on his human self tightened again, and his narrowed gaze now swung to me.

I was frightened, and furious. He was in _my_ house, attacking _my_ man, and I was helping him in spite of the way he had treated me the night before. I could no longer discern those qualities in him which I had described to his human self, and I felt the uneasy friendship which we had begun to build slipping away.

"I don't know what you're talking about," my tone was clipped, "but I'm sure it's none of your business anyway."

Vamp-Eric scoffed at me, and was about to speak again. I cut him off, growling out, "Let him go."

"He refused to do as he was told – again. He threatened me. I will not tolerate it."

"Let him go, and then leave, before I have to rescind your invitation."

This got a reaction. He let the Viking slide to the floor, and turned to face me completely, his expression torn. He looked surprised, angry, and most of all uncertain.

As he stood unmoving, I felt deeply weary of the whole situation, and of him. "Eric, just go. We've shared all the information we need to. I'll be in touch if anything else happens. You have no authority over my private life, and I refuse to discuss it further. I will not have you treating a guest of mine this way."

His anger flared for a moment, but he controlled it, and his face was impassive as he spoke. "I did not mean to imply that I have any control over you." The addendum 'but I could if I wanted to' hovered unspoken between us. "The Viking is not only your guest, but also my liability. I was acting in our best interests, and I did not realise it would make you uncomfortable."

His little speech was so inadequate, and I felt sad for both of us. "Is that meant to be an apology? Because if it is, it's a pretty poor attempt. This man has been nothing but thoughtful and generous towards me. He's tried to protect me, and stand up for me, while you've threatened and intimidated me, all the while expecting my compliance with your demands. Now you're continuing with this aggression towards a man I admire, in front of me, in my house, and you defend your actions as being 'in our best interests'? What you mean is, it's in _your_ best interests."

Vamp-Eric continued to stare at me, apparently unmoved, and I wanted to shake him. Finally, he blinked and looked away. When he spoke, his tone was low and biting. "I will leave you to it, then."

His exit was too fast for my eyes to follow, but I felt the air move with his passage, and then he was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief and knelt down beside human-Eric, who was still recovering from the rough treatment. He smiled weakly at me as I gave him a hug and ran my eyes over him, assessing the damage. He had red marks around his neck, and a bump on the back of his head, which was bleeding slightly. Other than that he was fine; even in a temper, vamp-Eric remembered the importance of holding back with his human self.

Jason hurried over and offered a hand, helping Eric to his feet. "I'm sorry man, I wasn't sure I should get involved. He was a pretty mean vamp, huh? I can see why you don't get on well. Fancy beating on your own family like that."

"Don't worry Jason," Eric reassured him, "there was nothing you could do, and he didn't do any lasting damage. Anyway, Sookie managed to run him off without any help from either of us." He gave me a proud smile, before continuing in a more sober tone, "I just wish that I had been prepared to put up more of a fight. I will be, next time."

"Oh no, buddy," I interjected, "you better not be planning on picking any more fights with him. I know this was just as much his fault as yours, but you really didn't need to antagonise him like that. It was stupid, and I'm not at all impressed."

"I will not 'pick a fight' with him, I will simply stand up for myself, and for you. We do not have to tolerate being pushed around by this vampire."

I didn't have it in me to fight him on this right now. I was still feeling the need to comfort him, though he was clearly fine. What's more, I kind of agreed with him. I was done with vamp-Eric's behaviour as well. However, tonight's speech was as close as I would come to confronting him. I knew that there was no point in testing my strength against a vampire's, and I would try to get that through to my Viking at some point.

As he sat at the table, I dabbed at the back of his head with a cloth, cleaning the blood out of his hair, and then gave him some ice to hold over the bump. I started making him a hot drink for his sore throat, opting for hot chocolate as the least likely to offend him. Jason went back to the sofa, claiming he was tired, but I think he just wanted to get away from the tension created in the last hour or so.

While the events of the evening had made Jason and I uncomfortable, it was clear that Eric thrived on conflict, and was excited by the tension. I was only able to get him to drink half his hot chocolate before turned his attentions to me, trying to hold me close, and running his hands over my body. I wriggled out of his grasp a couple of times before I gave, in and leaned in to kiss him. He may not have had a thousand years of practice like his vampire self, but his lips were warm and tender against mine, and I let myself become totally absorbed by them. It wasn't long before he deepened the kiss and slid his hands under my t-shirt, and for a moment I could resist pushing myself against him, urging him on. Then I remembered Jason, and pulled away from him. I grabbed his hand and led him to our room, intent on picking up where we'd left off.

We undressed ourselves and then tangled together naked on the bed, exploring each others' bodies all over again. After a while I moved down and wrapped my lips around him, using my hands to stroke that part of him which I couldn't take into my mouth. His lips parted slightly and his eyelids fluttered, as he ran his hands through my hair and thrust his hips up at me. I watched as his handsome face contorted, and he groaned as his essence spilled down my throat.

He lay quietly for bit after he'd had his happy moment, while I kissed my way back up his chest and reclaimed his mouth. Then he rolled me over and grinned at me before placing my legs over his shoulders, and dipping his tongue between my thighs to lick and nibble gently. It didn't take much for me to be just as deliciously spent as he was, and we fell asleep wrapped in each others' arms, both smiling dreamily.

I had the next day off, thanks to my new work schedule. Jason left early after another big cooked breakfast, and then Eric and I were left to decide how we wanted to fill our day. We'd just snuggled up on the sofa together for a movie when the phone rang.

It was Jason, and he sounded upset. "Sookie, someone broke into my house last night. The front door's hanging open, and all my stuff's been ripped up and thrown around."

I instantly had a bad feeling about this. "Was anything taken?"

"Not that I can tell. Most everything's broken though, including my TV." He sounded especially sore about that.

"When you say ripped up, what do you mean?"

"I mean actually ripped up, shredded, like everything in my house has been mauled by an animal."

That was pretty much the answer I was expecting, and it made me thankful that Jason had stayed with us the night before. "Is there anything else?"

"Well... There are these muddy paw prints around the door way. I think something got in after the door was bashed open. Can't tell what it was though, the prints are too smudged."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I wasn't really sure how to cope with this. "Have you called your insurance company?"

"Not yet, I called you soon as I saw the place."

"Ok well you'd better call them and get your insurance sorted. Then fix the door, or at least find a way of closing it temporarily."

"Aw Sookie I don't think they'll be back, this is Bon Temps. It's weird enough I got broken into once. It was probably just some drunk dickheads."

I rolled my eyes, though he wasn't there to see it. "You really think a bunch of drunk guys broke into your house to wreck everything? No, Jason, I'm pretty sure it was Crystal, and she may well come back."

"Shit, I didn't think of that. You think it was Crystal? How'd such a little girl cause so much damage?"

"I didn't want to have to tell you this, but if she's going to be hanging around causing you trouble, you need to know. She can turn into an animal of some kind. Obviously one with sharp claws." I braced myself for his reaction.

He was silent for a moment, and I even worried that he might hang up on me. But eventually he spoke. "Jesus. I know you said she wasn't human but, well, shit. So that's what those paw prints are then? Looks like some kinda big cat, no wonder you told me she's dangerous. What should I do?"

I was relieved he was taking me seriously, and he wasn't in denial. "Like I said, you need to make your house secure. Have a gun handy, like you promised. It could be she's just trying to scare you, and if she can't get at you easily she'll back off."

"Yeah, I'll definitely do that, thanks Sookie."

"Sure thing Jason. Be sure to call me if you need any help alright?"

"Don't worry, I can handle myself now I know what to expect. I'd better go sort out the insurance now. I'll come by to see you guys sometime soon, let you know what happens and hang out with Eric for a bit."

"I'd like that, thanks Jason, look after yourself."

I was about to hang up when he added, "Uh, Sookie, will you say hi to Eric for me?"

I smiled at his new found friendship with a Viking age man visiting the future. "I will, I'm sure he'd say hi back too. See you."

I shook my head to myself when I hung up the phone. I was sorry my brother had gotten himself into this mess. Maybe it would teach him not to be such a man whore, or at least to be more discriminating when it came to women. Probably not, though.

When I'd sat back down with Eric I filled him in on the Jason situation. He was all for charging over there with his sword and camping out till Crystal came back. I could just imagine vamp-Eric's reaction to me driving his human self around Bon Temps for all to see, and then getting him into a fight with a shifter. Luckily I was able to convince human-Eric that the situation was under control, and Jason knew we were here to help if he needed us.

Because it was a pretty awful day weather-wise we spent a cosy day in together. Eric had built the fire – he'd been delighted to find something he could do for me – and we snuggled under a blanket while we watched movies. We had a snack lunch on the floor in the living room, and spent a lot of time kissing – but nothing else since I had, as expected, got my period.

I couldn't help but compare my time with this Eric to my experiences with Bill and vamp-Eric. I loved that I could hang out with him all day without him wanting to bite me, or telling me how delicious I smelled. I loved that he would talk and laugh with me, without being cautious, or feeling the need to censor out top secret vamp info. I loved that he didn't mention my telepathy once, or ask me to use it for him. I especially loved that his whole focus was clearly here, with me. He wasn't on edge about our relationship and how it affected his life, and he didn't have his mind on twisty supe politics. He wasn't planning his next move in seducing me, or manipulating me into doing what he wanted. He wasn't holding any of himself back, or keeping anything from me. It was the best time I'd ever spent with a man, and it made me wonder why I'd been willing to compromise so much in my relationship with Bill.

I realised I'd been off in my own little world when Eric nudged me, and questioned, "What are you thinking about so hard, that has you smiling like that?"

I answered him without any hesitation. "I was thinking how much I enjoy spending time with you."

He smiled warmly, clearly pleased with my declaration. He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me, speaking softly into my hair, "I am pleased to hear that, because I enjoy spending time with you too. You are a special woman, Sookie Stackhouse."

I was relaxing into him when he spoke again. "Why will you not be with me as a vampire? Is it personal, or do you not want to be with any vampires?"

I couldn't help but wonder where this came from, since I knew he wasn't a fan of his vampire self either. It made me feel a bit awkward too. I had dealt with the situation so far by thinking of vamp-Eric and human-Eric as two different people. His question reminded me that they were in fact the same person, and by passing judgment on vamp-Eric, I was also judging this Eric for what he would become. It made it difficult to answer his question, because I didn't want to say anything too hurtful.

"I guess it's a bit of both. I find you difficult to deal with, as a vampire. I've already told you that vampire Eric has a lot of good qualities, but I never know when he'll exhibit those, and when he'll instead act like he did last night. I'm not sure I can trust him. I still don't know who he is really, and whether he is capable of dealing with me without having ulterior motives. As for vampires generally, I can't say I don't want to be involved with them, since I just got out of a relationship with one. In fact, I got into that relationship specifically because he was a vampire, and I couldn't hear his thoughts. But however wonderful it is to be around beings I can't 'hear', it comes with a heavy price. I have serious doubts about continuing my association with vampires, but I'm not sure I can get away from them now, either."

Eric was of course very interested to hear about my relationship with Bill, and I told him as much as I felt comfortable with.

Our discussion on vampires reminded us both of our resolution the night before not to be caught defenceless in the event of an attack. It seemed foolish in the extreme to have no means of fighting off a vampire when we'd clearly attracted the interest of at least one unknown vampire. We gathered up what silver we could find – the chain the drainers had used on Bill, and some jewellery. We decided to keep a few pieces on us, and leave the rest out of sight near the back door, ready for use on any dodgy seeming vampires who tried to gain entry. We also made ourselves a stake which we added to that, although this made me very nervous, and I made a mental note to stay between human-Eric and the stash of anti-vamp weapons when his vampire self was around.

Eric was very excited about our preparations, and enthusiastic about our chances. He almost seemed to want a vampire to attack so he could fight them. I was not so optimistic. I didn't think for a moment that we would be able to get the better of a vampire, regardless of what preparations we made. However, it did not sit well with me to do nothing and act as though the threat didn't exist. At the least we might be able to take an attacker by surprise and slow them down while we waited for reinforcements in the form of Eric and Pam.

Jason had called in the late afternoon to let me know he'd fixed his front door, and hadn't seen any sign of Crystal, so when the phone rang again at night I thought it would be him again. I answered warily, thinking Crystal may have returned to attack my brother. So I was taken by surprise when it was Pam.

"Sookie, Eric asked me to call you."

This wasn't something I wanted to hear. Did he need my telepathy already? Did he want me to do something dangerous to help him and his vampire buddies? Was he pissed off about last night?

"What does he want, Pam? And why can't he call me himself?"

"He tells me to call, I call. He wants you to have our cell numbers, so you can get in touch with us quickly, if need be."

This was actually something I'd thought about, and I was glad now that she'd called. I grabbed a pen and paper, and she reeled off some numbers to me.

"Well, thanks Pam, you can tell Eric I'll call if anything happens. I guess he'll also call me if you guys learn anything I should know." Actually I didn't have any faith in this at all, but I could live in hope.

"Of course."

I waited for the usual hang up, but apparently she wasn't finished yet. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. "I don't know what you did to him last night, but he's been impossible to be around ever since."

I don't know what I'd expected, but it certainly wasn't that. After a moment of uncertainty, I went on the offensive. "I didn't do anything to him! If he's sulking because I hurt his feelings then he's only got himself to blame."

Pam laughed, "Hurt his feelings? You have such a quaint way of putting things." After another few chuckles, she added, "I can't wait to tell Eric you think you hurt his feelings."

I felt faintly ridiculous now for suggesting such a thing. "I'm glad I could amuse you. Are we done?"

"For now. You play nice with our Viking, won't you?" before she hung up, she murmured something else, which sounded like, "or maybe that's Eric's problem."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Thanks for your reviews – it was really interesting in particular to read what you thought was going on with vamp-Eric in the last chapter.

I wanted to give you a heads up: my baby is due on the 25th, so that's obviously going to disrupt my updating schedule. So when I'm taking longer than usual to get an update out, you'll know why. I'll also obviously be getting slack with the review replies – I enjoy writing them but they take a long time! Don't worry about the story though. I'm taking the whole year off from uni, so I will still have time for writing, and it'll be a good distraction.

Thanks as always to my beta BathshebaRocks, she does a really good job tweaking the story for me

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I had to go to work the next day, although it was only for a short, afternoon shift. Jason couldn't come over to keep Eric company, but Eric assured me he would be happy on his own. After we'd shared a lovely morning together outside in the rather bare looking garden, I reluctantly left him and made my way to Merlotte's.

It was weird how sad I felt at leaving him for only a few hours. It's just that we'd so enjoyed spending time together the last couple of days, and it was a new and wonderful experience for me to hang out with my man all day without any worries or interruptions (except for the Jason kind – but then he always worried me, I was used to it). Even without the sex, I just couldn't get enough of him. It was going to be a long afternoon.

Sam was in a really good mood, and happy to see me, which cheered me up. I realised I'd missed him too, although not as much as he'd missed me. It might seem silly since I'd only seen him two days earlier, but he was usually such a big part of my day that I really felt his absence. I just hadn't noticed until now, since I'd been so wrapped up in my Viking.

"Hi Sookie," he called as I walked in, "I'm glad you're still working the odd shift, it's been strange without you here, especially since you only just got back from that trip to Jackson. Has it been good for you though, taking some time for yourself?"

I wished I could tell him about human-Eric, and how happy he'd made me, but then I suppose he might not have been that thrilled about the relationship anyway. I could at least tell him some of the truth though, "Yes Sam, it sure has been good having time to myself. I'm feeling really great at the moment. You're right though, it's nice being back here too."

I wasn't as distracted as I had been the last time I'd worked, and I found I really did enjoy being at work. I was glad I'd turned down Sam's offer of taking a holiday. I smiled at the customers and chatted to Holly, the other waitress, and bantered with Sam whenever I got a moment.

If I hadn't been working so hard at keeping my shields up, I would have noticed as soon as they turned up. As it was, it was Holly's terrified expression as she ducked into the employees only area that alerted me. I turned to see Sam moving towards a couple who had just entered the bar, and I very nearly followed after Holly when I saw that one of them was Hallow.

You couldn't tell Sam was tense by looking at him; he approached them with a welcoming smile, but I could sense the anxiety rolling off him. I knew vamp-Eric would be desperate to know why Hallow was here, and more importantly _how_ she was here, without any of his 'contacts' being aware of it. As Sam started a conversation with them, I lowered my shields and tried to listen in on Hallow's thoughts.

I was completely unprepared for her reaction. Her head instantly whipped around, searching for whoever had touched on her mind. I slammed up my shields, and covered my shaking hands by reaching below the bar, feeling for some cleaning supplies. I then started cleaning tables, studiously ignoring Hallow and her companion. I was terrified, and yet I knew I couldn't let this opportunity slip through my fingers. I started making my way closer to them, still cleaning, and glanced up again. They were both totally focused on Sam, Hallow apparently having brushed off the sensation I'd caused her.

I decided to try her companion, ready to pull back if it turned out that he too could sense me. Luckily, he turned out to be just a witch, not a Were, and apparently not nearly as powerful as Hallow, since he was completely oblivious to my intrusion. I got from him that he was relatively low ranking in Hallow's coven, so he didn't know much.

I was just cursing the fact that I had no way of directing his thoughts when I realised he was thinking exactly what I wanted to hear about. As I got closer still, I heard snatches of their soft conversation, and I saw Sam's eyes flick in my direction briefly. It became obvious that Sam was deliberately steering the conversation to help me, but subtly so that it couldn't be suspected that he was fishing for information himself; his questions and comments simply caused Hallow's companion to think of certain information.

The man had no idea how Hallow had got here, since he had met her in the parking lot. He knew the coven was being assisted by someone, but not who it was – only Hallow and her brother knew that. He didn't seem to be aware of any vampires working with the witches, although of course they could have been the mysterious allies.

Most importantly, he looked back on a tantrum Hallow had thrown just that morning over their lack of success in finding human-Eric. They really had no idea where he was, or where to start looking. So if that vampire outside my house was working with them, he or she had clearly not been communicating with them recently. I saw that Hallow, in her rage, wanted to go after vamp-Eric, but another Were, her brother, stepped in to talk her out of the idea, convincing her that finding human-Eric was still the best course of action.

Finally came a piece of information that almost made me gasp – luckily I had a lot of practice at not reacting to people's thoughts. Hallow and her brother had come to the conclusion that they would start snatching vampires at random, draining them until someone gave up human-Eric's location. They were certain he was staying with a vampire working for Eric, and that whoever had the Viking, or knew where he was, could be frightened into betraying vamp-Eric.

I was feeling quite relieved by this turn of events, as it confirmed that human-Eric was safe with me for now. I looked forward to telling vamp-Eric – as long as I could do it over the phone, and avoid another ridiculous confrontation between him and his human self. I was still anxious though about Hallow's presence in the bar, thinking (somewhat irrationally) that she might suddenly realise I had Eric and force me to take her to him. I hid my sigh of relief when the witches left, and then approached Sam with trepidation when he beckoned to me.

He caught my eyes and looked at me searchingly for a moment before speaking, "So those were the people who put that poster up a few days ago. Did you find them interesting?"

"I guess so." I answered evasively. I still felt it was better all round if I didn't confirm any of his suspicions, though I was grateful for his quick thinking in helping me dig for information.

Sam clearly agreed with me. "That's good. You just let me know if you get into any trouble and need help, ok Sookie?" He'd come to his own conclusions, and wasn't pushing me for information.

"I will Sam. Thank you," I said earnestly.

As I turned away to return to work he added, "And Sookie, _please_ be careful."

I was glad we'd reached an understanding on this, but I still felt bad about not confiding in him.

I was also unsure of what to do about Holly. Clearly she knew Hallow – but in what capacity? I doubted she was working with her, since she was so unwilling to catch her notice. What would Hallow's interest be in a waitress from Bon Temps? I certainly wasn't going to risk raising it with Holly, because showing someone who had a connection to Hallow that I knew what was going on would be asking for trouble. I wasn't even going to risk trying to direct her mind towards the Were witch, as it was just too much of a risk. Currently, the witches had no idea that Bon Temps was important, and I wanted to keep it that way. I decided she couldn't do any harm, since she didn't know I had Eric, and I would simply keep an eye on her when I was here in case she turned out to be working for Hallow after all.

In the end I was glad to finish my shift and get out of there. Most of the day had been fine, but Hallow's visit and then all my indecision afterwards had left me weary and anxious. It was a relief to get home and see Eric coming out of the house to greet me. I let him fold me up in a hug and breathed in his comforting, manly scent.

He seemed to sense my distress, as he pulled back after a moment and ran his eyes over me curiously. "Sookie is everything well with you?"

"Mostly." I gave him a small smile and put my arm around him as we made our way back to the house together.

In the kitchen I sat for a moment to gather my thoughts, and then told him about Hallow, and the man with her, and Holly's strange behaviour. It was a relief to be able to talk about it at last.

Eric's eyes lit up at the mention of the woman who had brought him here. "Why did you not come and get me immediately?"

Before I could answer, he waved his hand at me and continued, "No matter, I will come to your work with you from now on and when she comes back, I will kill her." He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then amended, "I will thank her first for making it possible for me to be with you. Then I will kill her." He smiled at this resolution. Eric always felt better when he had a plan.

"Eric, there is just so much wrong with that, I don't know where to start," I huffed, exasperated. At least as a vampire he came up with slightly more sophisticated plans.

"I don't see what the problem is," he insisted stubbornly.

I started counting off the problems with his approach on my fingers. "You can't leave my property, or someone might see you. You can't bring your sword to Merlotte's, or try to kill a woman there, because people will notice and call the police. Attacking Hallow would be suicide, because she is a witch, and a Were, and she drinks vampire blood. Finally, if you kill Hallow, we will have no way of sending you home."

He answered back in the same manner, "I don't care if anyone sees me. I will follow her out of the bar and kill her where no one will notice. I will have the element of surprise, and I can handle myself in a fight – I am not scared of this Hallow. I am not sure if I want to go home, anyway."

Sometimes this Eric could be every bit as irritating as the vampire version. I fought the urge to tear my hair out and stamp my feet in frustration. As I fumed in silence Eric's expression grew smug.

I took a deep breath and spoke steadily. "Eric, you just can't do this, ok? Remember when you told vamp-Eric that you wouldn't go looking for trouble unprepared? I believe you said something about not being an idiot?" I raised my eyebrow at him challengingly.

His smug expression dropped, and he deflated a little. "I just don't like sitting here waiting for other people to fix my problems for me."

I was relieved that I had managed to talk some sense into him, and that he wasn't about to go charging off to Merlotte's to look for Hallow. I put my arms around him in sympathy. "I know honey, I'm sorry this is so hard for you. But maybe there will be something you can do to help later? And you know, we both have to keep each other safe, and that's a pretty important job."

"Yes, of course." He still sounded unhappy.

I really needed to call vamp-Eric, so I sighed and left him to his brooding.

I called the number Pam had given me, and the phone was answered immediately. "Sookie, I'm just on my way to see you." He sounded quite cold and business-like.

"Excuse me?"

"I have some things to talk to you about. Pam is with me."

Grrrr. I was still angry at vamp-Eric for the way he'd acted the other night, and I didn't want him anywhere near _my _Eric. "So you just thought you would drive here and talk to me? Without asking or warning me in any way?"

"I told you, I need to talk to you, and you would find out that I was coming to see you when I arrived. A warning was unnecessary."

In the absence of the Eric I was actually annoyed with, I turned around and glared at human-Eric, who in turn looked mystified.

"You could have just called me, you know. I need to talk to you too, but I planned to do it over the phone."

"I have something to give you as well."

"... What is it?" I asked warily, "and why does Pam need to come with you?" Although actually I didn't much care that Pam was with him. It was Eric I didn't want to deal with.

He was quite for a moment, before he answered in a faintly disgusted tone, "She wanted to visit with the Viking."

"Right, well, fine. I guess I'll see you soon. Please don't get into a fight with your human self again."

We both hung up and I warned a very disgruntled human-Eric that vamp-Eric would be arriving soon, and asked him if he could please try not to aggravate him this time. I don't know why I bothered, really.

I got up at when I heard the car approaching, and human-Eric followed me, hovering right behind me as I reached the door. I glanced over my shoulder at him as I opened it, and he was aiming a death glare straight at the approaching vampires, which he rearranged into a sickly smile when he noticed me looking.

I opted to ignore him, and concentrate on my encounter with the high-handed jerk known as Eric Northman. I greeted him and Pam and was about to step back and let them in when I noticed their nostrils flaring a little. They both stared fixedly at me and I blushed as I realised they were smelling my blood. I hadn't thought about the fact I had my period right now – although if I had, it would have been another reason to talk to Eric over the phone. I didn't need this meeting made more awkward by Eric and Pam shooting hungry looks at me for the duration.

Vamp-Eric's cool demeanour had slipped a little, and he smiled at me with a hint of his usual flirtatiousness.

Human-Eric had obviously grown uncomfortable with the situation, which he didn't understand. He moved even closer to me and lifted an arm, laying his hand lightly on my waist and directing his question to the vampires, "What is wrong with you? You look strange, and you're staring at Sookie."

"We can smell her blood," answered Pam, matter-of-factly.

I'd had enough of this weird standoff at the door, and tried to step back to make room for them, but the Viking had other ideas. His understanding of vampires was limited, and he clearly didn't realise that just because Eric and Pam liked the way I smelled, that didn't mean they were about to get their fangs out and start feasting. He wrapped his arms round me and pulled me to the side, before letting go and stepping in front of me. Before I could object to this treatment, he produced the silver chain I'd taken off Bill – I hadn't even noticed him retrieve it from our stash earlier. Damn sneaky Viking. Having wrapped it around both his fists he held it in front of him menacingly.

"You will not bite my Sookie and drink her blood," he growled out.

Vamp-Eric looked coldly furious, while Pam was, rather bizarrely, smiling widely.

As the two Erics stared each other down, Pam's eyes met mine. "I can't believe he's Eric. He's so... _sweet_." Her voice oscillated between disbelief and fascination.

I didn't think this could go on much longer without vamp-Eric doing something violent, so I tried to defuse the situation. I put an arm around human-Eric to try to calm him, and I said soothingly, "No one's gonna bite me, honey, _please_ put the silver away."

Although, looking at vamp-Eric's ominous expression, I wasn't entirely sure of the truth of that statement.

As my Eric relaxed a bit, I directed my next comment at his vampire self. "Eric, he hasn't done anything, and he was just trying to protect me. Either stop glaring and come in, or go away and we can talk over the phone."

He stopped staring daggers at human-Eric, but he looked somewhat put out as he asked, "Are you two lovers now?"

There was no avoiding the issue this time, and he seemed to have calmed down. "Yes, Eric, we are."

His fists clenched by his sides and his jaw tightened as he took a deep, unnecessary breath. "I don't think this is a good idea," he said stiffly, not looking at me or human-Eric.

I lifted my chin a little and stared at him until he met my gaze. "We don't need your permission."

The Viking backed me up – foolish and unnecessary, I thought. "Yes, your opinion is unimportant, vampire." The silver chain was still dangling from one hand, and he swung it slightly.

Vamp-Eric's mood changed instantly from morose to aggressive, and he stepped forward, his large form filling the doorway and then crowding my kitchen. He slapped the chain out of the Viking's hand and roughly grabbed a fistful of his hair, shaking him a little. I gasped and stepped back, unsure of what to do now. Pam stepped around the two large men, and joined me, looking on with interest, but not concern.

After jerking the Viking around a bit and hissing in his face, vamp-Eric spoke. "You are my charge, and so you will act as I deem appropriate."

The Viking reached out and tried to push him away. It was like pushing at a wall, and he earned another shaking for his troubles. He looked the vampire in the eyes as best he could with his head wrenched into such an uncomfortable position. "No. I will act however I wish, you are not in charge of me. What will you do about it? You cannot kill me, and I'm not scared of pain."

Vamp-Eric released him with a growl and shoved him backwards with a push to his chest. In frustration he snapped, "I could glamour you so you never get an erection again."

Human-Eric actually looked scared now for the first time, and recoiled a little, averting his eyes. Pam and I, however, started laughing. Seeing vamp-Eric's expression, I couldn't help myself, despite the frightening situation. Realising what he'd said, he actually looked a little sick.

He recovered himself when he heard us laughing at him. "It need not be permanent," he ground out, treating all three of us to his most threatening glare.

Pam sighed, "Eric, let's have our discussion and then leave. This isn't achieving anything."

I added to her voice of reason, "I know this is a strange situation Eric, and it's difficult for all of us, but really, it's none of your business, and you can't do anything about it." I spoke gently, willing him to accept my relationship with his human self. Despite my words, I knew there was plenty he could do about it, if he chose to.

Vamp-Eric just looked at the wall behind me, his expression unwilling, but not hostile anymore. I tried again, "I'm not going to ask for your approval, because I don't need it. But I am asking you not to get involved. You don't have a claim on me, or on your human self. Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be."

He still wouldn't look at me, but he nodded and then sat down at the table abruptly. The rest of us stood around, uncertain, until he gestured impatiently for us to join him, "We are here to talk, aren't we?"

I was relieved, but still a little on edge. Human-Eric and I sat at the opposite end of the table to Pam and vamp-Eric.

"First, Sookie, I brought this for you." Vamp-Eric pushed an envelope down the table towards me. "It's an interim payment to cover expenses until we are able to finalise your bill."

I felt a little awkward about being paid to look after my boyfriend, but not enough to stop me reaching for the envelope eagerly. With the Viking staying with me I was going through my last pay check twice as fast as usual, and my next pay check would be much reduced. I just plain needed the money.

"Thank you Eric, I really appreciate it." I didn't mention that he could easily have posted it. It was a pretty lame excuse to drive out here, but I wasn't going to complain now.

Eric acknowledged me with a nod and then spoke again, "a shifter was killed by the witches today."

I gasped, shocked, and immediately thought of Sam. Of course, that was silly as I'd just seen him at work. "Who? Why?"

He waved his arm vaguely, "No one important, she was not attached to any pack."

While not unexpected, his callousness still took my breath away. It was awful to think some poor woman had been randomly swept into this fight, and killed because of it. "You still haven't told me why."

As we were talking I noticed Pam got up and left. Eric knew she was going of course, but he didn't even look in her direction. "It seems Hallow is trying to force the supernaturals of Shreveport and the surrounding areas to join with her. They are resistant, and killing a random shifter was a warning, and an intimidation technique."

"Oh my god. I have to warn Sam – they were in the bar today!"

"They were in Bon Temps, _again_?" Vamp-Eric hissed. It seemed the only thing keeping him from flying out of his chair was uncertainty over his destination. These witches and their disappearing and appearing act were really getting to him.

"Eric, relax, it was good that they came in actually."

"How?" He demanded incredulously.

"Hallow had another witch with her, and I learned a lot from his mind. They really have no idea where human Eric is. They think he's staying with one of the vampires who work for you."

Eric relaxed noticeably, and I continued, "I tried to find out about these allies of theirs, but Hallow is the only one who knows anything about them. I did find out that, as far as this other witch knew, they're not working with any vampires." Eric was still listening intently as I explained the deduction I'd made earlier, "that, combined with the fact they don't know anything about me, means that the vampire who was outside my house the other night probably wasn't connected to them, right?"

Eric's face was suddenly expressionless. "Perhaps," he intoned. I gave him a funny look, surprised by his lack of reaction, or interest, and he spoke again. "Did you learn anything else?"

"Yes actually." I bit my lip, anxious as to how he would receive this. "They're planning to drain vampires at random until someone gives up your human self."

"I suppose that is not unexpected. I will warn those in my area."

At that point Pam came back in and Eric stood up. "Was there anything else you needed to tell me before we leave?"

"Wait! What about Hallow killing supernaturals and forcing them to work with her? Are you doing something about that? What about Sam?" I couldn't believe he'd insisted on driving out here to tell me about all this, and now he was leaving without even explaining the situation fully.

"It is being dealt with. Sam will likely know about it by tomorrow. I am already working with the Shreveport Weres, you don't need to concern yourself with this." Then why had he told me about it?

Before I could ask, he and Pam were gone, and I was left staring out into the night, deeply confused by the evening's events. I didn't understand why Eric felt the need to give me this information when he was usually so secretive, or why he had to do it in person. I especially didn't understand why he was so uninterested in my information about my mystery vampire visitor, when just a couple of nights ago he'd been in a panic about it. I wished now I'd pushed him on the issue instead of letting him distract me. He was such a sneaky, manipulative ass.

I was also worried about the things I'd learnt. Would the threats and killing cause the supernaturals of Shreveport to work with the witches, or turn them against them? If Hallow did get all the supes on her side, would Eric – vampire or human – be in more danger?

I closed the door and then groaned, leaning my head against it. I had so many different things to stress about now, I didn't even know what to start with. Then Eric came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, and I felt better.

"It will be alright, Sookie. I will not let anyone harm you, or Jason, and I know you will not let anyone hurt me." I turned around in his arms and he was smiling at me softly, earnestly. I was reminded that whatever happened, this supernatural crisis had brought me my Viking, and I was so thankful to have him with me now. We shared a slow, gentle kiss and then I pulled away to prepare a late dinner. For now, the vampires had left us alone, and no other supernatural creatures looked like impinging on our evening together, so we would make it a good one. I was determined to enjoy every moment I had left with my Eric, taking each day – and night – as it came.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **I felt really uncomfortable about writing this chapter - feelings are not my forte, and since I've never been a telepathic waitress with supernatural lovers, I can't exactly write from my own experience. I couldn't really leave this part out though. So I'm sorry if you don't feel I did justice to Bill or Eric or especially Sookie, I tried my best.

Thanks to my beta, BathshebaRocks, who made a real effort to check this quickly so that I could get out at least another chapter before I disappear for a bit.

Thanks also to those of you who sent me messages of support after the earthquake. We're all in shock over here, it's really horrible, and completely unbelievable. I don't live in Chrsitchurch anymore, but most of my friends and family live in and around the city. Luckily my family are all ok, but I am still waiting to hear from friends.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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We spent the next three days making the most of the time we had together. We had a picnic outside when we had a nice day, and sat in front of the fire together when it wasn't so nice. We watched TV, and played board games, and I tried to teach Eric to bake.

We were constantly touching each other, and kissing, and when we were able to have sex again we did a lot of that too. We had a memorable shower together, and made a start on Eric's mission of making love everywhere in the house... and outside as well. We'd spend the whole day getting to know each other better, and taking pleasure in each others' company, and then we'd curl up together at night and I'd fall asleep in Eric's arms, warm and safe and cared for.

It was perfect, and yet we weren't able to completely relax and forget about the world beyond my house. There was the ever present danger of the witches, and the mystery vampire visitor. We lived with the knowledge that at any moment, someone might find us and try to take Eric. I was also worried about Sam, and even vamp-Eric and Pam. I hoped no one else had been killed by Hallow, but I realised that was probably wishful thinking.

Of course, I didn't just need to worry about supernaturals being killed, but also about supernaturals taking sides. Eric hadn't given me a lot of information, but what he did say seemed to imply that I needed to be wary of shifters now as well, not just witches. He said they were resistant to joining her – but did that mean none would? I certainly didn't intend to take any chances.

I'd only heard from vamp-Eric once, and he hadn't filled me in at all on events in the supernatural community. In fact, he'd left me with even more questions. Two days after his visit, he'd phoned me early in the evening, and warned me urgently to stay inside my house after dark. Then he hung up, before I could even ask him why, or remind him that I'd have to be out at night when I was working. It was so frustrating, because I didn't know whether he was simply being cautious, or if he knew of some threat to me or my Viking. How did he expect me to take precautions against something I wasn't even aware of?

I also spent a lot of time worrying about Jason. He'd visited us the day after vamp-Eric's cryptic phone call, and we all had lunch together before playing an unidentified ball game – some kind of mish mash of football and soccer. He didn't stay for dinner because he'd been getting home before dark whenever possible; he didn't want to risk being ambushed by Crystal in the night. He was keeping his house well secured, as well as leaving the outside lights on and sleeping with his gun next to the bed.

Although he hadn't had any more break-ins, Crystal was definitely making her presence known. Loud animal noises kept him awake a lot, and he'd come home from work once to find paw prints all around his house. The worst evidence of his supernatural stalker was the deer he'd found at his front door one morning. It had been ripped open and left with its head partially attached and it's entrails hanging out and staining his front step. A wide blood smear showed where it had been dragged from the woods.

I wasn't sure whether Crystal's revenge plot was simply frightening my brother, or whether she was working up to something worse. I was relieved he was taking all the precautions I'd suggested, but I wasn't sure how much good they'd do if she really wanted to get at him. If I'd thought my house was any safer I'd have asked him to stay with me and Eric, but I didn't want him getting caught up in an attack by Hallow or the mystery vampire.

With all these dangers lurking you'd think I'd be a nervous wreck. Yet Eric and I somehow managed to create a little bubble of calm in which we supported each other, and we didn't let our worries intrude more than they needed to.

But therein lay my biggest anxiety – and it was one which I couldn't bring myself to share with him. Here I was building an idyllic life with the man of my dreams, when I knew it was never going to do anything but fall down around me. What did it matter if we were so happy that no impending danger could spoil our enjoyment of each other? So what if we felt strong enough together to shut out supernaturals and their dramas from our lives? In a few weeks he would be gone, and in a thousand years he'd be a cold, dead man I couldn't rely on or relax around. This was the one thing I couldn't shut out, and when I woke up in the night with Eric's arms around me, my heart would ache as I imagined being alone in my bed again, and alone in my life against the powerful beings who all wanted to use me, one way or another.

The day after Jason's visit was a work day, and I was anxious to find out how Sam was doing, and whether he'd want to talk to me about Hallow's threats. With this in mind, I was able to get away from Eric with minimal delay, despite his underhanded tactic of going topless for the morning and stretching languorously whenever I looked at him. As I was about to leave he leaned against the doorway and treated me to a smouldering stare. He pouted a little when I simply squeezed his ass and gave him a peck on the cheek, before hurrying past him and out to my car. He was grinning again though by the time I looked back at him, and he waved as I drove away.

Sam looked as relieved to see me as I was to see him, and he hurried over to give me a hug and ask how I was – and, I suspect, to give me a surreptitious sniff. He could smell me all he wanted, but he wouldn't smell a vampire.

I desperately wanted to ask him about events in the supernatural community, as I'd heard so little from vamp-Eric, but I wasn't sure how to approach the subject without giving away my own involvement. "Sam..." I began tentatively, "how are you? Has there been any trouble in the last few days?"

I could see by his face that he knew exactly what I was getting at. "Let's talk in my office," he suggested.

Once we'd both sat down, Sam opened and closed his mouth a few times without actually saying anything. Evidently he had the same problem as I did, and didn't know how much to tell me. He knew I was involved in some way, but not how deeply. I imagined he didn't want to be responsible for dragging me in further, and I was grateful that he was willing to keep me at least somewhat informed.

He came to a decision at last and started talking. "I don't know how much you know about the people putting up those posters about Eric."

Since he was sharing with me, I felt the need to reciprocate at least a little. "They're witches, and some are Weres."

"Yes, and they're _very_ dangerous. There's... something else about them, I'm not sure what." He raised his eyebrows at me, inviting me to add something. However, on this occasion I was able to plead ignorance truthfully, since no one had figured out yet what the something extra was they had going for them.

"Well, however they're doing it, they're posing a real threat to the whole supernatural community in and around Shreveport," he continued. "They've started some kind of war with the vampires, and they're trying to get the rest of us supes to join in on their side. They're not taking no for an answer – they've already killed a shifter and a Were."

I felt sick as I realised there'd been another casualty since I'd last talked to vamp-Eric. I thought of Alcide, and wondered if it was someone he knew, or even someone he was close to. Vamp-Eric had said the Shreveport Weres were working with him – would this death have changed that?

"So how is the supernatural community responding?" I asked carefully.

"Well I'm sure you can imagine how the vampires are responding." He fixed me with a hard stare, clearly thinking I couldn't just imagine, but actually knew perfectly well how the vampires were responding. If only vamp-Eric kept me that well informed.

"And the other supes?"

"The Weres are openly allied with the vampires. Most shifters want nothing to do with either side, but the witches' intimidation tactics aren't doing them any favours. If the killing keeps up, a lot of us will end up siding with the vampires just to be rid of Hallow and her coven. Few shifters will be foolish enough to work with her. She has managed to enlist a handful of local witches, but I suspect that has more to do with how vulnerable they are compared to other supernaturals. They would probably turn on her, given the opportunity."

I nodded soberly, and he sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sookie, I'm telling you this so you'll understand how serious this is. Hallow means to find Eric, by any means necessary. She doesn't care about casualties, and no one is certain of the extent of her abilities." He paused, realising he was on dangerous ground now, and then forged ahead, "if you are involved with Eric in some way, and Hallow finds out, she will come after you. I just hope you'll take care – especially around supes."

"I will Sam – I have been, in fact." After all, I hadn't told Sam anything about human-Eric, and I trusted him more than most. If that wasn't taking care, I didn't know what was. "I really appreciate you warning me, and telling me this."

I still had worries about Hallow's threat to supes in general, so I questioned him hesitantly, "Are you going to be ok, Sam?"

He gave me a wide, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me, Sookie. I can look after myself, and besides, we're all on alert now. She won't be taking anyone by surprise, that's for sure."

There was nothing left to say, as neither of us was being completely open. We exchanged a hug and a meaningful look, and returned to work.

I was thankful that Sam had shared some of what he knew with me, and I felt more prepared now to deal with the potential threats to human-Eric and myself, as I at least had a heads up. It was also a relief to hear that Hallow was not doing well in her quest for more allies, and seemed to be collecting more enemies, if anything. I hoped Sam was right in being confident in his own safety, and the unlikelihood of Hallow catching anyone by surprise. I didn't want to come into work again to hear that there had been another casualty of the witch-vampire war.

I thought again about the Were that had been killed. Should I call Alcide? I felt like I should offer my sympathies, and maybe even offer to help in some way, although I had no idea what I could do. Then again, vamp-Eric had already told me he intended to make use of my telepathy at some stage, and he was apparently working with the Weres now, so I guessed I would be helping Alcide at some point, in a roundabout way.

When it was time to go home I felt more tired than I had any right to be, given I'd only worked a short shift and had just had several days off. I wasn't sure whether it was the stress of worrying about Hallow, or if I'd simply gone soft after all the time spent relaxing with Eric. A shift at Merlotte's was usually a pretty good workout, so I wasn't getting nearly as much exercise now as I normally did. Fighting for my life against psychotic humans or vengeful supernaturals was another energetic activity I'd been missing out on recently, but I wasn't going to complain about that.

Eric had been planning on doing some sword work while I was out, and I wondered if I should do something to keep in shape as well. I didn't want to find my job too exhausting when I went back full time. I also didn't want to find myself in a dangerous situation without the strength or fitness to put up a struggle. Not that my strength or fitness had ever done much for me before, but I surely didn't need to be making survival even more difficult for myself.

These were my thoughts as my car made its way along my driveway, and the headlights lit up the house in front of me. I smiled when I saw Eric waiting for me outside, and then hissed in frustration a moment later when I realised which Eric it was. My Eric wouldn't be wearing a Fangtasia t-shirt, and he would be smiling back at me, rather than remaining expressionless, as vamp-Eric was doing right now.

I stopped my car and hopped out, my thoughts churning as I wondered why he was here, and how I should react to him. I was fairly annoyed about his cryptic phone call a couple of days before, and the fact that he hadn't made any effort to keep me informed. However, there was very little point in taking it up with him, and it wasn't like I'd expected anything different.

Mainly I was just nervous about what his presence here meant, as well as the noticeable absence of human-Eric. He would usually be greeting me outside the house with a kiss by now, and it was certainly unlike him to pass up the chance to get into a fight with his vampire self. If vamp-Eric had tied him up and dumped him in a cupboard somewhere, I would be _really _pissed off.

As I approached him I narrowed my eyes a little and flicked my gaze to the front door, still wondering if my Viking would come bursting out of it.

Eric apparently guessed what I was thinking as he said, "I asked him to wait inside."

"You asked him to stay inside and he just agreed to that?" I asked sceptically.

"Yes." The corner of his mouth tugged up in a slight smile as he took in my disbelief. "He isn't completely unreasonable – I should know." Then he turned serious again. "Come and sit with me."

I sat with him on the porch swing, wondering what he had to talk about that had him looking so grim. Had Hallow managed to drain a vampire? Or was he here to tell me about the Were – was it someone I knew? My heart started pounding as I imagined who it could be. Had Alcide been killed?

"Are you here to tell me about the Were Hallow killed? Sam told me about what's going on."

He looked momentarily thrown, and shook his head. "No. This isn't about that."

I felt slightly relieved, but more curious than ever as I waited for him to continue.

He sighed, deeply and unnecessarily. "I'm not sure whether I should be telling you this. I will need the use of your telepathy soon, and I could have held this back until after you'd helped me, to ensure that you would be willing." Before I could ask him to elaborate, he continued, "Pam has urged me to tell you now though, and it's true that you may have need of this information in the coming days."

This was sounding increasingly ominous, and I gestured impatiently for him to continue.

"I received a call from the queen a few days ago. She informed me that she had sent her child, Andre, to learn more about you, and find out whether you would be open to meeting with her."

I was a little startled by this, as it was the first I'd heard about the queen of Louisiana taking an interest in me. However, I'd already been hired out once for my abilities as a telepath, so I assumed this would be a similar situation. It wasn't an entirely unprecedented notion, if an unwelcome one.

I sighed, and questioned him, "What does she want me to do for her?" I took it as a given that I would be doing whatever it was. I didn't really have a choice when it came to working for vampires.

Eric, to my surprise, waved my question away. "That's not the pertinent issue right now. Andre was meant to check in with me, and I was to provide an introduction and help with the... negotiations."

Now I felt annoyed that Eric had been planning to hire me out to his queen without even discussing it with me first. Not to mention that the idea of these 'negotiations' creeped me out.

I took a breath in preparation for my next question, but Eric spoke first. "Andre has not checked in with me."

I took a moment to understand the significance of this. Certainly he wasn't just telling me that this Andre hadn't arrived yet. Something about the situation had him worried. Then it clicked – the mystery vampire visitor. My skin crawled as I imagined this strange vampire sent by the queen standing outside my house watching, or listening for something.

"The mystery vampire was Andre?" I asked to confirm.

"Yes. Once I'd heard from the queen, I had Pam check around your property – and Bill's. Andre had been there." Now Eric's strange visit to me several nights ago made sense, but what was so interesting about Bill's house?

"Should I be worried about this? Won't he still check in with you at some point, once he's finished snooping around?"

"I wasn't sure until I got Bill's email a couple of days ago." His expression grew grimmer still, and he looked at me steadily, meaningfully. "He wanted to warn me. Andre had contacted him, asking for information which was... inconsistent with an intention merely to observe."

This frightened me, but also perplexed me. "Eric, what does Bill have to do with anything? Why would Andre visit his house? And if he was coming to check in with you, wouldn't he just ask you for information about me?"

Eric stood up abruptly and faced away from me, but not before I saw the pity in his expression. I felt suddenly sick, like a part of my life was slipping out from under me, but I couldn't stop it, or even recognise what it was I was about to lose. "...Eric?" I asked again, my voice unsteady now as my emotions prepared to fly out in all directions.

He glanced back at me momentarily, and then away again. "Bill asked me not to mention this to you. He wanted to speak to you about it himself, when he returned in a few days time."

"Speak to me about what?" The scraps of information I'd picked up were coming together now, hard and fast, and assembling in the front of my mind even as I tried to stop them, to deny them.

Eric didn't look back at me this time. "Andre asked Bill, because Andre is in Bon Temps to complete the mission Bill was sent here for."

Idiot. I was an idiot. My eyes felt full and my face hot as I realised that my first love, my first everything, was ordered to seek me out. Had he been told to seduce me too, or had that been a nice bonus? I tried to get my breathing under control, but a strangled noise escaped me, and the tears threatened to fall from my eyes. I desperately wanted Eric to leave, but I knew if I opened my mouth I'd just sob.

As I struggled with myself, he spoke one more time. "You need to go inside when I leave, and stay there. Call me if Andre shows up." Then he reached back and patted my leg, before taking off, literally. I was relieved for a moment, and then I wailed my distress into the night, surprising myself with the sound – I was like a wounded animal.

I stood up shakily, and made my way inside the house, shutting the door behind me and then leaning against it. I gazed around the kitchen in a daze, barely able to see through my tears which now fell freely and streaked my face. I thought of all the awful things that had happened to me while I'd been with Bill, and all the things I'd done for him. I'd sworn my services to Eric because of him, and that had led me into a whole world of trouble. I'd taken Eric's blood, and risked my life to save Bill from Russell and Lorena – oh _god_, I'd killed someone for him. I felt so foolish, and so used. I was furious, and I suddenly wanted to stake him.

I was shaking from my conflicting emotions of despair and rage, and I was fighting the urge to just go running off into the night – to do something with all this destructive energy that was suddenly bubbling inside me. Then I felt warm arms engulfing me, lifting me, carrying me.

Eric laid me on my bed and then wrapped me up into him, stroking my hair and speaking to me soothingly, lovingly. It was too much and I really started crying, keening my sorrow into his chest. As everything came rushing out I tried to push him away. I didn't want this. I didn't want to be comforted, I wanted to be angry. I _was_ angry in fact, and Eric seemed as good a target as any for my towering rage at what the world had done to me.

I didn't like the idea that the dreadful betrayal by my first love could somehow be swept away by the attentions of a new man. I didn't want to recover from this simply because I had Eric to lean on. It seemed too much like papering over the cracks. I had been so excited when I started seeing Bill, so thrilled to be in a relationship at last, something which I had always thought would be denied to me. Then I had started thinking recently about how much I'd had to compromise to be with him. Was I now discovering yet another compromise, so much worse than the rest? Would all my potential partners simply want to gain access to my telepathy? Would my choices from now on be reduced to no relationship at all, or to be used and manipulated for what I could do, rather than be loved for who I was? I felt worthless, like no one could find anything to value about me except for my disability.

I was really struggling with Eric now, and when he only held me tighter I looked up at him as best I could with my blurred vision, and let all my helpless fury show on my face, aiming it at him.

Rather than recoiling in horror he carefully removed one of his arms from around me, and reached up to stroke my face. In my current state I actually had to clench my teeth to keep from trying to bite him.

"Sookie, dear one, I'm so sorry." I stiffened, wondering what vamp-Eric had told him, hating the idea of them discussing it. I waited for him to tell me that Bill was a bastard, or that he was going to kill him for how he'd treated me. Instead, he slowly let go of me and leaned back, giving me the option to leave now, if I wanted.

As soon as I was no longer struggling with him, the fight went out of me. I rolled over to face away from him, and stared at the wall.

"Sookie, I will leave you alone if you want, but please let me stay. I want to be here with you."

I wasn't sure now what I wanted, so I didn't respond. I felt him reach out tentatively and rest a hand on my waist. When I didn't rebuff him immediately he wiggled a bit closer, and kissed the back of my head. With all the stress I'd been feeling, my shields had slipped completely, and as he reached over and took my hand, I was left completely open to his mind. To my relief, I still couldn't hear any clear thoughts, but I was getting emotions. His uncomplicated love for me was practically radiating from him.

It was such a soothing sensation, after all the horrible realities I'd been facing over Bill's duplicity. I knew I would still have to face what this revelation meant for me, and I knew that however much Eric wanted to, he couldn't fix it for me. But for now I gave into emotional exhaustion, and just wrapped myself in his feelings for me. It was one of the few times I'd ever been glad of my telepathy. Eric's love could be relied upon. It was something solid and true that I could cling to, and I did.

He sighed in relief, or happiness, or both, when I rolled over to face him, and put my arms around him. He pulled me into him again, and held me tight, and I let myself just drift away.

It was a tough night for me, and I can't say I felt a lot better in the morning. I did, however, feel more like myself. Now was not a time when I could afford to retreat from the world and throw myself a pity party. I knew now that the 'mystery vampire' was a serious threat to me, and not something I could forget about in favour of lingering over the more painful knowledge I'd acquired. I wasn't sure exactly what Andre's intentions were – simply that he was likely to do more than 'merely observe' me.

Realistically, though, there wasn't much I could do about him, except for being more aware. I felt uncomfortable now about my late shifts at Merlotte's, but I was already working a lot less, so I couldn't cut my hours any further. Besides, I wasn't fool enough to think that my house would keep Andre at bay forever. My only option seemed to be to wait for him to approach, and to find out what he wanted. Maybe he could be reasoned with, or maybe my house would at least keep me safe for the time it took vamp-Eric to get here.

Of course, relying on vamp-Eric to save me was never a great plan. While he had saved me before, it was hardly what you'd call a timely intervention. Longshadow managed to get his teeth into me, and the Fellowship nut staked me, both before Eric did anything about it. Eric might not even try to save me – if Andre was here on orders from the Queen, Eric would hardly step in to prevent him carrying them out. I knew the rules: vampires before humans.

With worrying about Andre crossed off my list of things to do, I moved on to the next – phoning Alcide. I would have preferred to visit him, given the awkward circumstances in which I'd last seen him, and the delicate nature of my inquiry. However, I realised that being seen associating with a Were in Shreveport was a good way to get myself noticed by Hallow. I didn't want anyone following me home and finding human-Eric.

He answered straight away, and asked abruptly, "Who is it?" I guess he was pretty on edge.

"Alcide, it's Sookie."

His manner changed completely. "Sookie, I'm so pleased to hear from you. You know, I'd really like to take you out and apologise for what happened at the club, and with Debbie. I didn't say anything when I saw you after you got hurt, and it's really important to me that we talk about it. The thing is, now is really not a good time for me. Could I call you back in a couple of weeks when things have calmed down a little?"

He sounded genuinely happy that I'd called, and sincere in his remorse. Of course, I wasn't at all surprised that now was not a good time for him to go out on lunch dates with friends. "That's alright Alcide. Seriously, I don't hold what happened at the club against you. I know you couldn't help it, and I hope you won't keep feeling bad about it. I'd really love to catch up with you some time, but that's not what I'm calling about."

"Oh?"

"Sam told me about what's going on. He told me a Were was killed. I just... I don't know if it was someone you know, but I really wanted to call and give you my sincerest sympathies. I hope you know I'm here for you if you need me."

"I see." I heard him sigh, and wondered if I should talk again since he wasn't saying anything. Had I just touched on a tender spot by mentioning the loss of a pack member, or was he angry that Sam had told me anything?

Before I could come to a decision, he started up again. "I'm really not sure Sam should have said anything to you. Yes, it was someone I knew, her name was Adabelle – she was a pack member."

"Oh Alcide, I'm really sorry. Is there anything I can do? Do you want to talk about it, or would you prefer to be left alone for the moment?"

Now that he'd decided to talk to me about it, he seemed willing to keep opening up. "She hadn't been happy with the leadership recently, and we actually thought she might join with Hallow. It was sort of a relief, and a blow at the same time when she was killed rather than betray her own kind. I'm not sure how I feel about it, to be honest, besides being more determined than ever to kill that witch and her friends. We all are."

"That's understandable." I waited to hear whether he wanted to say anything more.

"Sookie, I really appreciate you calling like this. It's nice of you to think of me after everything. And I really would like to take you out when this all blows over, so we can talk about what happened."

"Don't mention it Alcide. I'd like that too. You're sure there's nothing I can do?" I was thinking along the lines of emotional support rather than helping him fight Hallow, so I really hoped he didn't ask me to get involved in the vampire-witch war.

"I don't think there's anything you can do right now, but I'll let you know. I can't help but ask though... You said Sam told you about Adabelle. I take it you haven't heard from Eric, then. Have you managed not to let him drag you into trouble this time?"

I bristled a bit at his tone. As if I ever 'let' Eric drag me into anything. Alcide knew just as well as I that there was never much choice where vampires were involved, and I didn't appreciate him implying I went along with Eric just for fun, or because I was stupid. "You know Alcide, I seem to remember _you_ being dragged into a whole lot of vampire trouble right along with me."

He cleared his throat awkwardly before responding. "Yes, I guess I did. Sorry Sookie, I know you don't like getting involved with vampires any more than I do. Uh... I guess that's all then? I'll call you when I can see you?"

Mollified by his apology, I agreed. "Yes Alcide, that would be great. Good luck with everything, I hope you'll take care."

"I will Sookie, as best I can. You too."

I felt a bit jollier after that conversation. The way Alcide and I had left things had been weighing on my mind a bit, and I certainly felt better after checking he was ok and offering my sympathies. While I didn't want to get involved with him romantically, I did count him as a friend, so it was important to me that he knew I cared, and was here for him if he needed me.

My other mission for the day was to get some exercise, in accordance with my thoughts the day before on how inactive I'd been lately. While Eric worked up a sweat doing energetic looking things with his sword, I went for a run. I found I really enjoyed myself. Despite having recovered somewhat from my emotional upheaval the night before, I'd still felt the urge to just run, the way I hadn't been able to when it was dark outside. The wind in my face and the pounding of my pulse was exhilarating, and I felt like I was sweating out all the helpless emotions, and expending the frightening destructive energy I'd been filled with. As much as I loved Eric, and was grateful for his support, it was also important for me to have some time alone with my thoughts. I felt somehow cleansed, and more in control of my life when I returned home at the end of my run.

I also made a point of doing all the other things I'd normally do. I didn't allow this setback of mine to cause a disruption in my life, nor did I give myself the day off from chores as if that would be some kind of solace to me in my heartache. I made Eric and myself a substantial breakfast, lunch and dinner, I did a load of washing, and I did a little cleaning. I had a shower and shaved my legs and put on clean clothes. It felt good to be busy.

Eric seemed to understand my desire for normality. He was cautious, but not solicitous. He didn't offer to help me with anything more than he usually did. He dried dishes and made the fire, and picked up after himself. He smiled, and laughed with me, and leaned towards me frequently for a kiss.

As the sky darkened at the end of the day, I felt a flutter of fear at the thought of Andre lurking. I reminded myself that this danger had existed for several days now, and I hadn't even known to worry. Nothing bad had happened yet, and there wasn't any reason to think things would change now just because I knew about the danger.

Despite my calming thoughts, I jumped when the phone rang. I was always on edge about phone calls these days, wondering if it would be Jason telling me Crystal had attacked him, or one of the vampires calling to tell me someone had been killed, or Hallow knew I had human-Eric.

"Hello?" I answered nervously.

"Sookie." It was Eric – the vampire version. I didn't really want to talk to him after last night. I may be moving forward, but I wasn't sure I'd moved forward quite far enough to be comfortable talking to the man who had revealed the whole sorry plot to me. Not to mention, I wasn't sure how long he'd know Bill was just using me, and hadn't told me. That hurt. I also knew that he was part of the whole system that had put me in this position. If something was advantageous for vampires, who cared how it affected the insignificant human. Eric may not have liked the fact I'd been hurt so badly – he'd certainly been uncomfortable about it last night – but that didn't change the fact that he would agree that the end justified the means.

"Eric." I responded, not giving him any encouragement to continue.

"I need to visit you again. I am... warning you this time."

"I'd really rather you didn't come out here right now, actually."

"I have someone here who wants to meet you. Tonight."

This made me consider his words more carefully. I was intrigued and concerned. "Andre?"

"No."

"Then who?"

"He will explain when we get there."

As curious as I was, it didn't change the fact that I was in no mood to receive visitors. While I'd let my high standards of hospitality slip recently where vamp-Eric was concerned, I couldn't be anything other than polite and welcoming to a complete stranger who wanted to meet me. And I really wasn't in the mood to be polite _or _welcoming.

"Can't you visit another night? Even tomorrow would be better."

"No. He is very anxious to meet you, and he has information about our situation. Information which he plans to share with you." I heard the frustration creeping into his voice at the end there. He didn't like the fact that this person wouldn't share his information with Eric, but rather the vampire had to wait until whoever it was talked to me. No wonder he wanted to set up the meeting as soon as possible.

I sighed and gave in. "Fine, Eric. When will you get here? Can you tell me anything about this person who's so desperate to meet me?"

"No, he prefers to explain himself to you in person. We will be there in an hour." He hung up.

I filled my Eric in on my conversation with his vampire self, and he looked interested and concerned, just as I was. I gave him my usual warning about not starting anything with vamp-Eric, without expecting it to do any good, but his response surprised me.

"I do not think we will 'start anything' tonight, as you put it." Then he grinned, and added, "maybe the next time he visits, though."

It made me wonder again what had passed between them the previous night, before I got home, but really I didn't want to explore that. Delving any deeper into the events of that evening would only hurt.

I made an effort to get the kitchen and living room spruced up for a visitor, but really there wasn't much to do. I wondered whether I would need something to offer the mystery guest. I didn't have any bottled blood, which I felt bad about. But there was no guarantee it was a vampire, and I had plenty of baking and drink options to offer if it was someone who ate normal food.

When I heard the car on the driveway I closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath, preparing myself to play the gracious hostess. Eric came up behind me and squeezed my shoulders, and I leaned my head against his hand momentarily. I could do this.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Thanks everyone for all your congratulations and well wishes, I really appreciate it. A lot of you wanted details so I'll tell you she was born on Sunday night, and her name is Darcy, and she's just lovely. I have to warn you, I had this chapter almost finished already, so that's why I can publish it so soon. I am working on the next chapter, but very slowly, so you will have to be patient.

Thanks to my beta, BathshebaRocks. She made an effort to check this really quickly for me, although as it turned out I couldn't publish it till now.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I opened the door and smiled warmly at vamp-Eric and the man with him. I was surprised and intrigued by this other man – he wasn't what I'd been expecting at all, although actually I'm not sure who I was expecting Eric to bring to see me.

He wasn't a vampire, but he was clearly not human. He was tall and slim and golden haired, and his obvious age did not detract from his great beauty. He was dressed impeccably in an expensive looking suit, and he stared at me intently as he approached.

"Sookie." Eric seemed tense, I supposed because he was itching to know whatever this lovely man had to tell me. "This is Niall Brigant. He wants to talk to you. I'll wait outside."

It went without saying he would join me in the house again for a full debriefing once Niall had gone. I didn't question his intention to wait outside. If this man was so keen to meet me, and had information he would only give to me, then I guess it made sense that he wanted some privacy for our chat.

"Sookie," Eric got my attention again. "It would be best if the Viking joined me."

Human-Eric had been standing quietly in the kitchen, and for once he had the sense not to argue, though he looked unhappy at the idea of leaving me here alone with Niall. Or maybe he was unhappy about spending time with his vampire self. I felt a bit nervous myself at the prospect of being alone with this man I'd just met, who was clearly something 'other', and who hadn't even spoken to me yet. I didn't think that vamp-Eric would leave me with someone he didn't trust... but then again he _really_ wanted that information, so maybe he was willing to risk it.

Human-Eric kissed me on the cheek as he walked past, and a look of interest passed over Niall's features. Then it was just the two of us, and I stepped aside and welcomed Niall into the house. He followed me in and then smiled at me when I faced him. He seemed to be waiting for me to take the lead, so I offered him refreshments. He looked slightly uncertain but accepted a biscuit. It was one I'd baked with Eric, and it looked a little bizarre – but I knew it tasted good.

Once we were sitting in the living room, and we'd finished our biscuits, he spoke again. "I have wanted to meet you for a long time. I'm your great-grandfather."

He leaned over and placed his hand over one of mine, and looked at me expectantly as I reeled from the shock of it. That was just the beginning as he confirmed my belief that he wasn't human, explaining that he was a fairy, and telling me a little of what that entailed. He told me how my half fairy grandfather had been produced and, even more unbelievably, how my father and aunt had been born.

Funnily enough, the news that I was an eighth fairy, though bizarre and unexpected, did not affect me that much. What struck me as being most important was the news that this man was my great-grandfather. Despite the shock of all his revelations, and in particular my consternation over my grandmother's infidelity, I also felt a great sense of happiness and excitement over this discovery of another family member. I had so little family left, to find I had relations I never knew about seemed a wonderful gift.

Finally he'd finished relating my family history, and he asked, "Do you have any questions?"

I thought about it, but I had so many questions, I hardly knew where to start. One thing seemed particularly pertinent, however. "You said you've wanted to meet me for a long time. Why are you only introducing yourself now?"

"My son Fintan prevented me from seeing you. He hid you from me. When he died, I was able to find you at last."

I was a little thrown by the way he just came out with that. It was strange to find out I had a grandfather I never knew about, and then to find out that he was dead a moment later. I felt like I should ask more about it, but Niall forestalled me.

"These are not the circumstances in which I'd hoped to meet you. I had intended for us to have a pleasant and leisurely meeting during which you could ask me your questions, and I could find out more about you. However, I have had to see you tonight, under quite different circumstances, because of the dangerous situation which is developing. That being the case, we do not have time to talk as extensively as I would have liked. I need to tell you about my part in recent events."

I jerked a little in surprise. He had played some part in the witch-vampire war? I suddenly felt nervous again, wondering which side he was on – although I couldn't help thinking that he would certainly not do anything to harm me, even as I realised that it was naive of me to believe that.

"Sookie, don't look so frightened. I assure you I took no action against the vampire, and I'm no friend to the witches."

I slumped a little in relief that I wasn't going to find myself on the opposite side of a war to my new-found great-grandfather. "What part did you play in all this, then?"

His expression turned regretful as he answered me, "I need to explain some unpleasant truths before you can understand my actions."

If he didn't count my new knowledge about my grandmother, or the death of my half fairy grandfather as unpleasant truths, then I dreaded to think what he wasn't looking forward to telling me. Nonetheless, I nodded for him to continue.

"I am a prince, and I have enemies. Another prince, Breandan, disagrees strongly with certain of my policies. In short, he believes all part-fairy humans should be killed."

He leaned back, giving me a moment to process. I could see, now, why he would count this as an unpleasant truth. It was certainly very unpleasant for me. "What does this mean for me?" I couldn't help but ask, selfishly, though I realised I was probably the least of his worries.

He pursed his lips thoughtfully, and then responded, "Probably nothing, right now. But our disagreement is very likely to lead to war. If that happens, you will be a target, not only because of your part fairy blood, but because of your connection to me."

I suddenly wished he could be a normal great-grandfather. Other people didn't have to worry about their great-grandfather's enemies trying to kill them in the event of a war. It seemed very unfair to find out I had another family member, only to learn that his very existence endangered me. Then I felt dreadful for thinking that way, and chided myself for being ungrateful.

Still, I felt I would be justified in trying to learn as much as possible about this new threat. "How will they find out about me to make me a target? You said _you_ didn't even know where I was, until recently?"

Niall shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and coughed delicately, "Unfortunately, I have not been as successful in protecting you as Fintan was. In fact, in trying to find you, I revealed your existence and location to my enemies."

My eyes widened a little as I took this in, and Niall looked troubled. I wasn't sure how to react. I still felt I should be happy to have him in my life, and yet it seemed he had nothing but bad news to bring me. I didn't quite understand how he could be so careless.

Filling the silence, he spoke again, "I have tried to rectify this somewhat, with my recent actions, and I intend to protect you to the fullest extent of my capabilities, if the need arises." He took my hand again, "I'm sorry. I only wanted to know you."

Regardless of how I felt about this recent development, I didn't want to be on bad terms with my brand new great-grandpa. He sounded genuinely remorseful, and there was nothing to be done about it now. "I understand. What were your recent actions, then?"

He gave me a bright smile, pleased with my forgiveness. "Given the likelihood of a war between us, Breandan is making some preliminary moves, aimed generally against me. No overt attacks which could spark off the confrontation between us, but simply... probing manoeuvres. To this end he has been aiding the witch Hallow."

"Oh _shit,_" I blurted out, before following up immediately with an apology. So the 'powerful allies' were fairies? Evil fairies? I stifled a giggle as things got a little too weird for me.

Niall grimaced a little, presumably at my strange behaviour, and waited for me to regain my composure before he continued. "His assistance at present is minimal. He is cloaking Hallow's scent, and that of her coven, in order to make locating them more difficult. I think he also has his fairies transporting Hallow and her brother when necessary."

"Eric's been really annoyed about that." I responded dumbly. My mind was still a little scrambled. Niall had mentioned the ability to 'pop' from place to place, but I hadn't really considered the implications until now.

"I imagine he would be even more annoyed by the original agreement between Breandan and the witches, whereby Eric's human self was transported to the present."

"Ah. Yes. He was very annoyed about that too."

I shook my head a little to clear it, and tried to force myself to concentrate again. We'd all been fairly shocked by what the witches had been able to accomplish – not that I knew anything about what witches were typically capable of. It made sense that fairies had helped them with that, since Niall had explained that fairies were very magical creatures. But if the spell had had powerful witches _and_ fairies working on it, how had it gone so badly wrong for Hallow?

As the obvious explanation occurred to me, I gasped. "You interfered with their spell! You changed it somehow, so it didn't work the way they wanted it to!"

Niall looked pleased with my deduction. "Yes. I was unfortunately unable to counteract the principal effect of the spell. However, I ensured that Eric's human self would not fall into the hands of the witches, and that he would be able to communicate with you and others."

I didn't see how getting me involved in the witch-vampire war by dumping human-Eric practically on my doorstep could be seen as protecting me, but I was grateful for his intervention nonetheless. I was also pretty impressed by his abilities. One thing bothered me though.

"I thought you said Breandan's actions were aimed against you – but everything he's done has been against Eric."

"I said they were aimed _generally_ against me. In part, Breandan's efforts to kill the vampire are motivated by his desire to get to you, in the event of a war. Eric has been an acquaintance of mine for a long time, and he has an association with you. He is very old and quite strong. As such, he was identified as someone I would likely entrust your care to."

I stared at him blankly for a moment as I resisted the urge to laugh in his face. If Niall 'entrusted my care' to Eric, he would end up sorely disappointed. Eric wanted to have sex with me, and he wanted to possess me in some way, but he didn't want to trail around after me, protecting me from evil fairies. From what I'd seen so far, even if he did take it upon himself to protect me, he'd do a pretty lack lustre job. I might as well deliver myself to Breandan now and save us all a lot of hassle, if Eric was to be my sole saviour.

I could see, though, why this plan would make sense to supernaturals. We poor pathetic humans were incapable of looking after ourselves, so the half-hearted efforts of a largely disinterested vampire would surely be superior to any precautions I might take.

Even bearing that in mind, it seemed an awful lot of trouble to go to for so small an advantage. "That's it? They want to kill Eric to leave me unprotected?"

"Oh, no, of course not. Even Breandan's not that petty. He is trying to draw me out. He seeks to learn how willing I am to involve myself in events in this world, as well as what forces I have at my disposal."

"So what will you do now?" I meant to ask if he could send human-Eric home, but the words stuck in my throat.

"My manipulation of the spell was the limit of my interference. I'm not going to involve myself any further."

I gaped at him and he seemed to feel the need to defend himself. "I interfered with the spell because of Breandan's involvement. I felt that it was in part my responsibility to counter him, and of course I couldn't tolerate his targeting you, even indirectly. But I can hardly have my warriors fighting in the streets of Shreveport against a coven of Were witches. As I said, Breandan's aim is to learn the extent of my capabilities. I have already risked the identity of my spies by using their information to mitigate the harmful effects of the spell. If _you_ need me, I will of course do anything I can to help you. But Eric is on his own."

I didn't feel comfortable pushing Niall too much, but this seemed very harsh to me. "But Eric and his area are being attacked because of you."

Niall laughed a little and shook his head. "Breandan's involvement is because of me, yes, but it is minimal. Eric's problems with the witches are entirely his own. In fact, if Hallow hadn't provided such a convenient opportunity, I very much doubt Breandan would ever have targeted him."

"How can Eric hope to fight Were witches _and_ fairies?" I was feeling pretty desperate now, as it seemed like vamp-Eric was in pretty dire straits, and I couldn't believe Niall's reluctance to help him any further.

Niall clearly picked up on some of my distress, as he reassured me soothingly, "I will be very surprised if he has to fight any fairies, Sookie. I told you Breandan is not planning on making any overt attacks at this stage. He will be no more eager than I am to get involved in any fighting between the witches and the vampires. I anticipate Breandan withdrawing his support as soon as the witches became more trouble than they're worth. Don't worry about the vampire, this is not such a big problem for him."

I could see there wasn't anything I could say to convince him, and I did feel a little better knowing that Breandan wasn't looking to start a fight with anyone right now.

As I was contemplating this, Niall leaned forward and looked into my eyes, asking me very earnestly, "Is there anything I can do for you, apart from getting involved in the witch-vampire war? I'd like to help you in some way."

"Can you take my telepathy away?" I didn't even have to think about my request, it just popped out.

"No, I'm afraid that's not possible."

My shoulders sagged as my wild burst of hope was trampled on, but another thought occurred to me. Knowing it was selfish, and impossible, I still couldn't keep from asking for it, "Is there a way for human Eric, _my_ Eric, to stay here? I mean, without affecting his vampire self?" My request was low voiced and hesitant, and I kept my eyes fixed on my hands in my lap.

"I can see you realise that this is impossible."

My eyes filled a little when he confirmed what I already knew. My heart felt very heavy despite the fact that I'd known all along that my Viking would have to leave me. Before tonight I hadn't even known I'd have a magical fairy relative offering to help me in some way. Having another avenue of hope closed off hurt all the same.

"He means something to you." I looked up at Niall when he spoke, and nodded.

He considered me with a sad expression. "It seems in this, too, I've failed to protect you. I didn't consider what an attractive partner he would make for you, with your telepathy, when I sent him to you. If I had realised you might come to care for him, I would have acted differently. I'm afraid it will be very hard for you when he leaves. There will be no one else like him, and the vampire will not be able to fill the void. He has very little of his humanity left after a thousand years."

At this frank declaration of the hopelessness of my situation, a tear ran down my face. Niall leaned forward to kiss my check, carefully, and then he sighed. "I wanted to make your life better, and I'm instead making it worse at every turn."

I wiped my cheek and took a deep breath, willing my tears away. "No. It's ok. It means a lot to me to know I have a great-grandfather. I'm glad you wanted to meet me."

"It has been a very great pleasure to meet you, and I look forward to spending more time with you in the future."

I smiled at this signal of his intent to see me again. I'd like the chance to get to know my great-grandpa. It suddenly occurred to me that Jason would want to meet him to, and I asked Niall about it. I was quite taken aback when he explained his disinterest in my brother. I wanted to argue the point, but I couldn't help but admit that Niall was probably right about him. Jason had been so sweet recently though, with Eric around. My Viking seemed to be a good influence on him. I felt bad for my brother that his family thought so little of him.

Niall shook me out of my reflections on Jason by handing me a business card. "If you're in trouble, I hope you will call me." He paused then, as if searching for the right words, or unsure of whether he should speak them at all, "I would very much like to do something for you, if I can. I know my assistance has not done you a lot of good thus far. Please give it some thought. We will talk about it next time I see you."

"Great-grandpa..." he cringed a little. Ok, so he didn't like that name. "Sorry, great-grandfather, you don't need to do anything for me. All I really want from you is to get to know you, and you've already told me you'll visit again."

He smiled, although he seemed a little disappointed. He stood as he spoke, "I will definitely visit again. But for now, I need to leave, and I'm sure the vampire is getting impatient."

Then a horrible thought occurred to me. I'd been so wrapped up in all the things he'd told me, I hadn't fully considered the implications. My heart began racing as I jumped up and held out my hand for Niall to stop, "Niall – wait! You said Breandan knows where I am?"

"Yes, roughly." He looked impatient.

"Well then Hallow could show up on my doorstep at any moment looking for Eric's human self, couldn't she?"

His frustration left him as he understood my concern, and he instead looked amused. "Sookie, Breandan is not going to tell the witches about you. I told you his involvement with them was minimal. He's hardly going to discuss his motivations with a mentally unstable, drug addicted Were witch with whom he's momentarily aligned himself."

My heart beat slowed, but only a little. "But your enemies could come here? I mean, Breandan wants Eric dead, and he might think to check here for him."

"It's a slight possibility – which is one of the reasons I gave you my card. However, the idea that Eric Northman would entrust his human self to another human is very unlikely to occur to anyone." He smiled at me proudly, "he told me this was your idea, and that you talked him into it. It was a very well thought out plan."

He must have seen from my nervous expression that I still wasn't entirely satisfied. "I told you that Brendan and I aren't at war yet. He won't attack you unless he wants to fight me, and I'm certain he's not ready for that yet. Have I set your mind at rest?"

I would never feel comfortable with the fact that fairies who wanted me dead knew where I was. But I was feeling as reassured as I could be, so I nodded, and moved towards him to say goodbye.

We exchanged farewells, and I kissed him on the cheek as he'd kissed me. Then he startled me by disappearing suddenly, right before my eyes. I knew he could do that, but I hadn't been prepared to witness it. I sunk back down onto the sofa, feeling a bit light-headed, and tried to process everything I'd just learned.

I didn't get very far before I remembered vamp-Eric, and realised he was still waiting outside to find out what Niall had to tell me. I called out for him and in the next instant he swept into my living room and sat down in front of me. Human-Eric wasn't far behind, and he settled himself next to me, his arm around my waist. I couldn't help but think he was making a point, despite promising he wouldn't get into a fight with his vampire self. But no – he didn't have the least bit of smugness about him, as he looked back at me with nothing but concern. He was simply offering some much needed comfort. Besides, vamp-Eric was much too interested in the information I had from Niall to even notice the gesture. He was practically vibrating with impatience as he waited for me to speak.

Before I told vamp-Eric what he wanted to know, I needed to know something from him. "Were you aware of this?"

He looked quite taken aback. "No, of course not. You being related to the prince though, being part fairy... It explains a lot."

He was looking thoughtful, and satisfied, and it pissed me off. Niall had told me of the effects of fairy blood on vampires. I knew what Eric was suggesting, that his desire for me was caused by my fairy blood. The thought that Eric's interest ran no deeper than my telepathy and fairy blood tore at the barely healing wound that Bill had left.

I stuck my chin out defiantly, refusing to be hurt further by this. Vamp-Eric looked at me curiously – I suppose he was picking up on my grief and anger. I had no intention of sharing my thoughts with him; I wouldn't let him learn about this new vulnerability of mine. I allowed myself to be comforted by my Viking's presence. He didn't care who my family were, or what my blood tasted like.

As my emotions evened out again, vamp-Eric relaxed and began to question me. He grinned menacingly, fangs out, when I told him how Hallow had been popping up all over the place without anyone being able to track her. I shivered a little. I wouldn't want him to be thinking of me when he smiled like that.

As Niall had predicted, he was not at all happy when I revealed the part the fairies had played in the Viking's appearance in our time. He didn't seem at all mollified by Niall's modification of the spell, and he even glared at me as he spat out, "_fucking_ fairies."

I crossed my arms and glared right back. "It's funny you didn't seem to feel that way about my family and I when you were so desperate to use my telepathy, and when you wanted the information Niall gave me."

He immediately retracted his fangs and gave me a saccharine smile. "Of course my anger isn't aimed at you, dear Sookie. I could never be anything but grateful to you, and in awe of your great beauty and your generous... nature. I'm most distressed that you would think otherwise." Apologies from Eric Northman came in two varieties: short and curt, or long and ingratiating – neither of which was sincere.

Human-Eric was obviously no more impressed than I was, as he threw his head back and laughed, "You are such a sleaze."

The vampire actually grinned and laughed along with him. An in-joke perhaps? I was happy enough that they weren't trying to kill, or at least damage, each other that I was willing to brush over the whole thing.

"So now that you know how Hallow's hiding from you, will you be able to find her?"

"Possibly," vamp-Eric answered, "but we will obviously have to rely on sight alone, which makes the Shreveport Weres of limited use."

"Sam said that a lot of supernaturals are considering joining you just to get rid of Hallow. You could find out if any of the local shifter population are willing to help you, or maybe witches?"

"Oh yes, I'm sure having a few cats and foxes on my side will turn the tide," he sneered derisively.

"They would at least be another few sets of eyes – something which you just admitted to needing." Honestly, he could be so arrogant.

Vamp-Eric nodded thoughtfully, "There is that, and local witches may know something about Hallow which I don't. You make a fair point, I'll try to enlist them."

"Great! I'll ask Sam. I'm at work tomorrow, and he's already gone out of his way to help me."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "what does Sam know of this?"

"Oh for goodness sake, he knows I'm helping you in some way, that's it. He has no idea that your human self is with me – he doesn't even know your human self exists, as far as I know."

"No. That information is well guarded. Very well, you can ask him to keep his eyes open, and to pass that message on to others. You do realise, though, that shifters are not exactly organised."

He made it sound like he was granting me such a huge favour, letting me help him. Considering this would probably put Sam in danger, if he agreed to do it, Eric's attitude irritated me. "Sam always seems to know what's going on in the supernatural community, I'm sure he has a way of communicating with other shifters. I think he'll be a lot more help than you're giving him credit for, and you'll be lucky to have him on your side."

Eric made a non-committal grunting noise, clearly unwilling to agree or disagree. I left it at that. Even if Eric wasn't going to be gracious about it, I would talk to Sam because I felt a responsibility to help where I could.

"When we do find them," vamp-Eric spoke as though this were a certainty, "I will need you to come with me for an evening of information gathering. I don't care what Niall says, there may be fairies around and I'm not going to attack them without knowing what I'm getting into."

Before I could answer, human-Eric cut in. "If you take Sookie with you, I am coming too."

"No, you're not," responded his vampire self.

"You will not take Sookie by herself to spy on witches and fairies who want to kill us all. I will be there to protect her."

"No one needs your pathetic protection. You are soft and weak and you have an irrational attachment to Sookie."

"Yes, _I do_ have an irrational attachment to Sookie, _don't I_?" my Viking looked pointedly at the vampire as he spoke.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know what it means."

Their argument was becoming positively juvenile – and the evening had been going so well until now. I spoke up before they could start comparing dick sizes; that really would be a futile exercise.

"Eric," I was speaking to my Eric, "please don't discuss my protection as if I'm not here, and can't make my own decisions about my safety. I can look after myself." Then I turned to his vampire self, "I've asked you to treat your human self with respect. If you can't do that, then you're not welcome in my house."

"Sookie..." He spoke warningly, as if to a naughty child, "I am serious about requiring the use of your telepathy."

"Of course I'll help you," I was fairly disgusted with his high-handed behaviour, and it was evident in my voice, "I know perfectly well I don't have a choice in this, and I would help anyway. At the very least, I don't want Alcide and the other Weres to get hurt in your fight, going in unprepared."

"Good. I will notify you."

He stood to leave, but I stopped him with a question, "Have you heard from Andre?"

"No." He looked unhappy for a moment, before he continued, "But I've spoken to the queen about him. I'm sure it won't be a problem anymore." He nodded to reinforce his words.

"Well I hope you'll let me know if the situation changes."

He smiled, "But of course. Why ever would you think otherwise? I'll be in touch. Until next time, Sookie." He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek, and then left before I could react. Human-Eric looked murderous and reached for his sword, but his vampire self was long gone.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **Thanks again for all your congratulations and the like. Also thanks those of you who assured me you won't mind if I take a bit longer to get chapters out now, I appreciate your understanding.

As I've mentioned before, I just don't have the time right now to reply to every review, so I am only replying to the odd one when I have a spare moment. I read and appreciate all your reviews though, whether I reply or not.

Thanks to my beta BathshebaRocks for doing a great job on this chapter.

* * *

It was the next day, and I was sitting in Sam's office again – it seemed to be becoming a habit of mine. Sam was giving me a 'look', another recently formed habit. I'd just asked him about the possibility of shifters helping Eric to find Hallow, and he wasn't happy.

He sighed and pressed his lips together unhappily before he spoke. "Sookie, you're getting involved with the vampires and their problems, again? Haven't you had enough?"

He'd already realised I was involved in the vampire-witch war somehow, but I guess he was uncomfortable with how actively I was participating now.

"Calm down, Sam. I'm not exactly out fighting the witches side by side with Eric, am I?"

"But you're recruiting for him, now? That's a pretty good way to get yourself noticed by Hallow."

This was a good point, and I was worried about it – but more for Sam than for myself. He was the one who would be asking around to find out if anyone had seen the witches. "You don't need to worry about me Sam, but I know that what I'm asking you to do could be dangerous. I'd never hold it against you if you wanted to stay out of all this."

Sam growled a little. "I'm not worried about _myself_, Sookie. I'm not stupid, I know how to get a message around without drawing attention to myself."

I was a little irritated by his tone now, and I matched it. "So you're saying that you can help Eric without getting in any trouble, but I can't even ask you for help without endangering myself? Thanks for the vote of confidence." I crossed my arms and glared.

"No, I don't mean it like that," he backpedalled, "I just can't help but wonder what else Eric has you doing. I don't like that he's dragging you into this, and I just wish that you would stay out of it, for once."

"Sure Sam, I'll just tell Eric to get lost. That'll be much better for my health."

Now he looked angry, "If that vampire is forcing you to do anything for him-"

"He's not forcing me into anything." I interrupted hastily. It was sort of true... Eric never had to force me to do anything for him, because we both knew I understood what my situation was. Also, I had promised to help him with my telepathy whenever he asked, and my word was important to me.

"Well then, how has got you involved in this mess?"

"I'd hardly say I'm involved."

I was hip-deep in this mess; neck-deep; drowning, almost. I tried not to look guilty, as I continued. "Eric just needs some extra eyes around the Shreveport area, and he knows my relationship with you, so he didn't think I'd mind asking you if you could help."

I wasn't going to tell him that Eric had barely agreed to this idea, after disdainfully discounting whatever assistance shifters could provide. There was no need for Sam to know how little Eric thought of his kind – although, actually, he probably already knew. The important thing was I valued him, and I thought his assistance was worth having.

I tried not to look too eager as I waited for Sam to respond. I didn't want him to feel pressured into anything. While I wasn't at all sure I wanted to help to return human-Eric to his own time, I did know I wanted to help find Hallow. Not just because of the threat she posed to my Viking and I, but because of the threat she posed to supernaturals, including many I knew and liked. It seemed pretty important to me to stop her from randomly killing anyone who opposed her, and I felt like Sam and his shifter buddies could be the answer.

Sam propped his head up with one hand, his elbow leaning on the desk, and glanced up at the ceiling for a moment, before he focused on me again. He let out another long-suffering sigh, "You know I'm always here for you. If you want my help, I'm in. I can't say I care much for Eric, but I certainly prefer him to Hallow."

"Thanks Sam!" I leapt up and hugged him, and then let go just as fast when his happiness and his tender feelings towards me flooded my mind.

For a moment, I wished I'd kept hugging him. While his feelings for me usually made me feel awkward, and I'd broken contact from habit, today it was a very welcome reminder that human-Eric wasn't the only person who valued me for me, and didn't want to use me. But of course, if I hung around Sam all day basking in his affection and giving him the wrong idea, then _I'd_ be using _him_. So I just gave him a bright smile and went back to work.

I drove back home in a good mood after work. The bar had been busy, and I'd enjoyed the feeling of normalcy that came from serving beers and burgers to the usual patrons, all unaware of the trouble brewing around them. For a moment, I could almost imagine that I too was blissfully ignorant, just a normal girl doing a normal job. Of course, hearing the nasty thoughts of those around me made it difficult to keep up that pretence, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I was also happy about Sam's promise of help. I hadn't enjoyed keeping him out of the loop, and while I still wasn't telling him everything, I felt like we were both sharing a bit more, and working together on this. It was a relief to have someone else to rely on in this supe war, other than the vampires and Weres of Shreveport. Unfortunately, neither Eric nor Alcide had shown themselves to be very reliable, whereas Sam was someone I actually trusted to look out for me, and to have my best interests at heart.

Not only was I thinking about the fact that I wanted Sam to have my back, but I was also convinced that the key to finding the witches was having a large network of supernaturals keeping an eye out for them. If they couldn't be tracked by scent, and some of them could move from place to place instantaneously, then it seemed to me that the best way of locating them was to actually _see_ them enter or exit whatever hideout they were tucked away in. Considering this hideout could be anywhere in Shreveport, or even outside it, the odds of a chance sighting were incredibly slim. Surely any strategy that increased these odds made good sense?

Distracted as I was by these thoughts, the loud report of a gun startled me so much I almost swerved off the driveway. As soon as I recovered from the shock I was gripped by an intense fear for Eric's safety. The thought that someone was on my property with a gun filled me with dread. He didn't even know what a gun was, and would no doubt try to fight back with his sword, rather than run away. I threw the brake on and propelled myself from the car and up the driveway towards my house. Sure, it wasn't logical to run when I could drive, but I was gripped by such a sense of urgency that I was out of the car before I realised I was moving. I was just desperate to find Eric, and see that he was safe.

When I saw Eric and my brother standing in the grass near the trees I almost collapsed from relief. I started towards them filled with the desire to wrap my arms around my man and kiss every part of him. By the time I reached them, I wanted to hit Eric and shoot Jason – somewhere non-vital, of course. It was clear they'd been shooting cans. I couldn't say exactly why I was so mad. They didn't deliberately frighten me, and while Jason's stupid about a lot of things, he's switched on when it comes to gun safety. Hell, he was the one who had taught me how to use a gun. Somehow though, the idea of Eric playing around with guns just seemed so insanely reckless to me; I would have bet that vamp-Eric shared my view on it, too.

Once I reached them I took a deep breath and held my twitching hands by my sides – they were itching to strangle someone, or throw something. Eric and Jason had both turned to watch me expectantly. The fact that Eric hadn't greeted me with his usual enthusiasm told me that he was alert to my irritated state. I reminded myself again that I wasn't his mother (absolutely, certainly wasn't his mother), and I had no right to tell him he couldn't practice shooting with my brother.

"Hi guys," I forced a bright smile, "nice to see you here Jason. What are you up to?"

"Uh... We're getting in a little shooting practice." Jason looked confused, obviously wondering why I needed to ask when they were both holding guns and had a row of cans arranged some distance in front of them.

"Well that's just great," I moved closer to Eric and put my arm around him, "you've had a fun afternoon then, honey?"

He beamed at me now, relieved that I wasn't angry. "I am very impressed by these guns. I have never seen anything like them. I am certain they could bring down that witch – or even a vampire. Super speed would not do them much good against one of these." He patted the gun and smiled maliciously.

I really didn't understand the two Erics' fascination with doing bodily harm to one another. It surely wasn't healthy. Then again, who else would they find with an ego to match their own?

"Actually, a bullet only slows a vampire down. They recover remarkably quickly... Especially if they feed." I knew, I'd seen it.

"Oh..." Eric looked disappointed.

Then Jason said something smart, for once. "You surely wouldn't want to hang around after shooting one, then."

I remembered a group of men who'd done just that. It didn't say much for them that they had less intelligence than my brother. I thought about what had happened to them, and shuddered. "No Jason, you really don't want to hang around after shooting a vampire."

"Anyway," Jason breezed over the whole horrifying subject, obviously not fazed by the idea, "we've been at this for a while, and I reckon Eric could hit someone in a pinch. His aim's not much yet, but from close up he'd do some damage."

He looked proud at having imparted this useful skill, and I supposed I would prefer that Eric could use a gun if he had to.

Eric put his arm around me and squeezed a little. "Your brother's skill with the gun is very impressive, and I hear that you have some ability too. I doubt I will ever be very good, so I will stick to my sword. I definitely know how to use that."

This was certainly true. I had watched him practicing more than a few times. When a man who looks like Eric works out half naked, swinging a heavy bit of metal around like it weighs nothing, you can't do anything but watch, believe me. Keeping my jaw from hanging open, and my clothes drool free was all I could manage.

Now Jason was nodding enthusiastically. "Yeah, you bet you know how to use that thing. It seems like a pretty weird sport to take up, but man, it's awesome. Have you seen him Sookie?"

I smiled goofily and nodded.

"Well I just bet that will be every bit as effective against Crystal as my gun."

I felt Eric move slightly, and looked up to see him urgently shaking his head at Jason.

Jason, oblivious, grinned as he spun around making pretend sword thrusts.

I took my arm back from around Eric and pulled away from him, taking a step back so that I could look at them both at once.

"What's this?" my voice was tightly controlled.

"I saw Crystal last night!" Jason exclaimed, "She's a panther! Can you believe it? She can freakin' turn into a _panther_."

My eyes widened a little. A panther! That was formidable, and it explained a lot. I was even more frightened for my brother now.

"What did she do? Was she trying to attack you?"

"I'm not sure. She was just sitting outside staring at me. As soon as I noticed her I grabbed my gun, and she ran off. I don't mind admitting that I was pretty spooked though."

I remained silent, my mind racing as I tried to decide what we should do about this. I couldn't just wait around for my brother to be mauled to death by a panther. Now that Crystal had gone from simply leaving evidence of herself around Jason's house, to actually confronting him in her animal form, I was terrified of what her next step would be.

Before I could voice my concerns, Jason revealed his own intentions, "I'm still not sure how I feel about attacking a woman, but Eric reckons we can just scare her real bad without doing any damage, and she'll clear off."

"Excuse me, what?" I looked hard at both of them. Jason was still smiling, but Eric had the intelligence to look nervous. Clearly this was what he'd been warning my brother against mentioning.

Thinking I was genuinely enquiring about his plan, Jason answered me, "Eric's coming over tonight, and we're going to camp out and wait for her, and then surprise her when she turns up. I'll fire shots near her, and Eric'll swing his sword in her face, and she'll high-tail it back to wherever she came from. She won't want to take us on when she sees we can fight back."

I had figured they had something like this in mind. My resolve not to treat Eric like a child did not extend to letting him lie in wait for a vengeful shifter who could turn into a panther. Vamp-Eric would certainly not be impressed. To be honest, I wouldn't let my brother follow through on this crazy plan either, if I could help it.

I certainly didn't want to stoop to threatening to tell vamp-Eric on them, so I tried reasoning. "Crystal is faster and stronger than you both. She has vastly superior senses. It doesn't matter what weapons you have, if you confront her, you will get hurt."

They both looked mutinous, but Eric spoke first, "I do not think we will get hurt, not seriously, anyway. But nothing in life is without risk – I have risked my life many times. You are risking your life by letting me stay with you, and you will risk your life by helping the vampire. If I asked you not to go on this spy mission of his, would you stay behind?"

His reasonable argument took me by surprise, and left me stumped. I knew my objections were still valid, but how could I keep making them without seeming a hypocrite? It was obvious to me that my situation was different to his, but I didn't think Eric would accept my reasoning. I could point out that I didn't have much choice about helping vamp-Eric, but I wasn't sure that would be wise. My Viking realised my relationship with his vampire self involved some coercion, but if he decided I was helping vamp-Eric reluctantly, he would certainly pick yet another fight with him.

As I remained silent, at a loss as to how to answer Eric's argument, Jason leapt in with his own, "I'm even more likely to get hurt just waiting around for her to attack me when I'm not expecting it, Sookie. Do you really expect me to just do nothing? Anyway, Eric's right, we probably won't get hurt." Thankfully, his interest in convincing me to fall in line with this venture meant he paid very little notice to Eric's mention of vampires and spying.

Eric joined in again, "Surely you will not ask me to let your brother face this crazed panther-woman alone? I thought that you would want me to protect your family."

I glared at them both. They must realise how stupid it would be to deliberately get into a fight with Crystal, and yet they were making it very difficult for me to sustain my objections. I wasn't done yet though, and I tried another tactic.

"Maybe, just _maybe_ you'll both be ok. But what about Crystal? I'm willing to accept that you two can defend yourselves, but it will be a tough fight nonetheless. You won't be able to hold back if you don't want to get ripped to shreds. She'll just be too fast and strong, and you'll have to take any chance you get to take her down. Are you willing to kill her if you have to?"

"Of course," Eric answered calmly.

"Of course not!" Jason responded at the same time, "Dude no way! You can't just go around killing people! 'Specially not women, even if they're crazy. Actually, especially if they're crazy. That's sick!"

"But she may be trying to kill you, yes?"

"I don't know. Whatever. No way are we hurting her. Why would you even suggest it?"

"I am sorry. Clearly this is another of those customs you have here that I don't understand. I will of course follow your lead, and do nothing to harm the woman."

Eric looked worried at having displeased my brother so much, but he didn't seem particularly contrite about offering to kill Jason's stalker. It made me realise that in some ways he was just as savage as his vampire self, and from a totally different world to mine. For all our shared humanity, in some ways I had more in common with vamp-Eric. He at least would understand why we couldn't just kill Crystal, though he wouldn't care if we did.

Jason still looked unconvinced, "Well remind me never to visit Sweden if you all think it's unusual not to kill people over there..."

Then he laughed, presumably at the unlikelihood of him ever visiting Sweden anyway, and the tense moment passed. My brother didn't tend to dwell on any one thing for very long – possibly because he didn't have room in his head for more than one thought at a time.

I knew I'd pretty much convinced them not to carry through on their plan to ambush Crystal, so I pushed on, "Tell you what. If you can just hold out and keep yourself safe a little longer Jason, I'll ask around about her and see if I can learn anything useful about her." I was thinking I'd ask Sam about her next time I was at work. He would at least be able to give me generalised advice about shifters, and maybe I'd get lucky and he'd actually know her and have some way of calling her off.

"You think just asking around'll help any?" Jason asked doubtfully.

"The people I'll be asking have specialised knowledge about someone like Crystal, so I'm pretty sure it'll help."

"Oh? Oh! I get ya." Jason suddenly looked shifty and wouldn't look at me, clearly uncomfortable with the topic of supernaturals. He'd got used to Crystal's otherness, but the idea that there were other people like her that I knew, and who he might know too, was not something he wanted to think about.

Eric, however, looked interested, and I could tell he was about to ask me about these people I knew. Taking pity on my brother, I changed the subject hurriedly. "After all this shooting practice, you guys must be hungry. Should we go in and have an early dinner?"

The idea of food effectively distracted Eric from his questions, and he nodded enthusiastically, "And then perhaps we can keep watching Star Wars afterwards."

Eric found Star Wars amazing. He didn't quite understand that it was all fantasy, including the technology. Since all modern technology seemed so incredible to him, light sabres and space ships didn't seem any more far-fetched. He was equally fascinated with the idea of space – I had more trouble convincing him that _was_ real than I did convincing him that R2-D2 _wasn't_.

"Sure, sounds like a great evening. You in Jason?"

I was sure my brother would leap at the chance for a free meal and a movie after, but he shook his head, "Nah, I'm still trying to get home before dark if I can. In fact, I'd better head off now."

This display of caution and good sense by my brother, of all people, came as a shock. I guessed Eric really was a good influence on him, at least when they weren't hatching plans to ambush an angry panther. I found myself hoping that Jason would in turn be a good influence on Eric – a strange idea indeed. But I really would appreciate it if Jason could teach my Viking to be a little less casually homicidal.

Later that night I was trying to explain how some of the effects in the movie were created, which was difficult, since it wasn't something I knew much about myself.

"Alright, alright, I believe you," Eric interrupted me, "light sabres are not real, they are merely a trick. It is a great pity though – I think that I would make an excellent Luke Skywalker."

He grinned arrogantly, but I screwed up my face a little and disagreed, "I think you'd be more of a Han Solo."

"Ah yes, and Jason would be Chewbacca."

We were both laughing now, and then Eric's expression turned even more mischievous, and a bit malicious. "And of course, we both know who would make the perfect Darth Vader."

He was clearly referring to his vampire self, and the idea made me go quiet for a bit. I'd never thought much into the psychology of Darth Vader, but it seemed to me that, in some ways at least, it was an apt comparison. Somehow though, I didn't think there would be any transformation for vamp-Eric back into the man he had been, or a happy reunion with those he had loved – certainly not if he really did live forever. The things which Eric had lost were gone for good.

I knew though that my Viking hadn't put that much thought into his witticism, and I was glad. My contemplation had made me deeply sad, and I didn't want Eric to despair too over something he couldn't change.

I made an effort to reply to Eric's observation in the same light hearted manner in which he'd delivered it. "Isn't he too handsome to be Darth Vader?"

"I had not considered that, but of course you are right," he answered with mock sincerity, "he is much too handsome to make a decent Darth Vader."

I moved closer to him, and started running my hands through his hair, "if you're Han Solo, can I be princess Leia?"

He smiled at me, his eyes heated, and pulled me onto his lap, "No."

I had been about to kiss him, but I paused my movement in surprise at his answer. He pulled me the rest of the way and moved his lips against mine until I forgot what I had been confused about. Eric's attentions had always had that affect on me, and evidently his human self knew a bit about kissing too, even if he'd had less practice.

When we both came up for air, he returned to our conversation. "You are far more appealing than princess Leia. I think I would prefer us to just be Eric and Sookie."

His sweet sentiment almost made me tear up. If only we could just be Eric and Sookie, without the supernatural world pressing in on us, and the grim reality of Eric's future looming ahead.

This time Eric sensed that I had taken his comment in a way he hadn't intended. He kissed me again, this time slowly and sensually, while he wrapped his arms around me. When he pulled back again, he looked into my eyes with intensity, but no sadness, "Here, right now, we are just Eric and Sookie."

We moved to the bedroom not long after, the movie forgotten.

The next day was bright and sunny, if a bit chilly. I took the opportunity to get some gardening done. I had a lot of pruning to get on top of, since I'd been neglecting a few jobs with Eric around to distract me.

My Viking was keen to help me, though he didn't quite understand my purpose at first. He eyed my puny secateurs doubtfully, and offered to take to my garden with his sword. I hastily explained the idea of pruning, and after that he was very good about collecting what I cut off, and taking it to the burn pile.

For lunch we had a picnic in my newly tidied garden, and it felt almost summery as the sun was beating down on us and we were both hot from our work. It was fun, and peaceful, and I loved lying on the picnic blanket in Eric's arms afterwards. Watching him in the sun was bitter sweet. He was so magnificent in its light; vital, strong and glowing with life. He seemed so much a creature of the day, that I couldn't imagine him consigned to an eternity of darkness.

It was this thought that made me wish I had a decent camera, and could take a really good photo of him. I felt the need to create a record of this arresting man with whom I'd fallen in love so quickly. His human life would end a thousand years in the past, without any note being taken of its passing, and his vampire self was hardly a faithful reminder. Of course I could never afford to _buy_ a camera, but perhaps I could borrow one. It was another thing I would ask Sam about when I saw him next, along with asking his advice on the Crystal situation.

In the late afternoon, as it got cold and dark, we decided to toast marshmallows over the burn pile. The activity confounded Eric, and he ate several hard, blackened lumps of burned sugar before I took pity on him – at least, when the marshmallow didn't simply melt off his stick and drop in the fire. When I shared mine with him, he revised his original opinion, and agreed that toasted marshmallows were delicious.

We were enjoying ourselves so much, with the merry little fire, and the sticky sugar getting everywhere, and our giggling over each others' attempts at toasting, that we almost didn't notice when it was close to full dark. Luckily though, there was still a little light left when I jumped up and got Eric to help me put the fire out and tidy up our little picnic area. Vamp-Eric may have assured me that Andre was no longer a threat, but I didn't intend to take any chances. If I could be inside when it was dark, I would be.

As it turned out, we did get a night time visit, though not from the vampire I'd been dreading. We'd just been trying to get back into Star Wars, when we both heard the car on the driveway. When I saw that it was vamp-Eric's corvette, I felt both exasperated and resigned. Of course he didn't call and ask first if he could visit – why did I keep expecting that courtesy from him?

My frustration turned to confusion and concern, however, when Alcide stepped out of the passenger side and approached my door with vamp-Eric. Before I could even greet them properly, Eric interrupted me with his news.

"We've got them!" He practically crowed, looking smug and excited.

Alcide, however, looked anguished and pleading as he addressed me, "They've got Debbie!"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Thanks for your patience - I wrote a lot of this one handed while holding a baby. I'm getting pretty good at it now, but it's still slow going.

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks - she got this back to me super-quick so that you wouldn't have to wait any longer.

In case you've forgotten over the last 2 weeks, Eric and Alcide have just turned up to get Sookie to help them spy on Hallow & friends. Alcide is all worried because Debbie's been captured. Huh.

* * *

For a moment my mind was blank; I wasn't sure which declaration to react to first, and I was still feeling thrown by their sudden appearance at my house together.

However, practicality took over and I stepped out to join them, pulling the door shut behind me so that Alcide wouldn't see human-Eric standing in the kitchen. I didn't want to be responsible for letting that secret out.

Noticing my actions, and guessing the reason behind them, vamp-Eric spoke, "Alcide knows," his formerly gleeful expression darkened a little, "Unfortunately some members of the Shreveport pack were informed about the Viking by the witches, when Hallow demanded he be handed over to them. Those Weres have all been sworn to secrecy."

He glanced at Alcide meaningfully, but Alcide wasn't paying attention, his expression still frantic as he was obviously caught up in his concern over Debbie.

Right! Debbie... That brought me back to the problem at hand. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Certainly I'd never wish for anyone to be captured by Hallow, but I couldn't summon up a lot of concern about it. After all, Debbie had tried to kill me, and while I'd survived the attempt, I had not been left unscathed by any means. Alcide may try to ignore these facts, but he knew my history with Debbie. That he should now turn up at my house asking me to help her, expecting me to be at all worried about her fate, made me angry.

"Alcide. I'm sorry, for your sake, that Debbie's in trouble. But honestly, I don't see what it has to do with me. I wouldn't wish any harm on Debbie, but I'm not really interested in what happens to her. Did you really expect me to feel any differently?"

Alcide's expression turned miserable, and he looked everywhere but at me.

"None of my vampires has gone missing," vamp-Eric interjected smugly.

Alcide glared at him, "This is hardly the time to gloat, Eric. I know Debbie's no angel-"

"The woman is worthless," Vamp-Eric interrupted, as I snorted indignantly at Alcide's understatement. Then Eric continued, directing his words at me, "However, her capture has given us the location of the Were bitch Hallow. We will investigate their hideout tonight, in preparation for an attack tomorrow. We can have this whole mess tidied up in a matter of days."

My breathing hitched at the thought of my Viking returning home even earlier than I'd anticipated, but it went unnoticed by my two visitors, caught up as they were in their own concerns.

With a determined expression, Alcide met my gaze at last, and spoke to me, "I know what Debbie is, I know she's no good. But this is my fault, I abjured her last night..." he saw my confused expression and explained a little, "this has great significance among our kind, basically I cut her off completely, wouldn't see her or hear her anymore."

He choked up a little at the end, and looked positively wretched. I could tell from Eric's raised eyebrows that it _was_ a big deal to abjure someone, even if I didn't quite understand it. It seemed strange that he would take that step now. After all that Debbie had done, I couldn't imagine what would have pushed him over the edge at last.

"Why abjure her now, after everything?"

Now he looked guilty, and he looked away shiftily again. "At a meeting last night, Bill said some things... I couldn't really hide from the truth about her anymore after that."

I froze up at the mention of my deceitful ex, momentarily disregarding the rest of what Alcide had to say. "Wait – Bill's back?"

"Yes. He has been for a few days," Eric answered me.

I had very mixed feelings about this news. It had been some relief after I'd learned the truth about Bill to know he wasn't around, and wasn't likely to pop up on my doorstep any time soon. It had made it easy to push him to the back of my mind, and not think too closely on what he'd done, and how it affected me. With everything going on, I certainly didn't have time to have a breakdown over my no-good vamp ex-lover, who never really loved me.

Now I learned he'd been back for a while, and I felt frightened at the possibility of seeing him, of what that might do to me. At the same time, I felt angry. He didn't even feel like he owed me an explanation? Of course, any explanation from him would be worse than useless, and yet I couldn't help but want to hear the truth straight from him – the whole truth. So far I just had what I'd put together myself from the few clues Eric had given me. I needed to hear the whole sorry story from Bill himself. Equally, I needed to never see him, or hear from him, ever again. I was at once relieved, dissatisfied, and furious with him for not feeling any sense of responsibility for what he'd done.

Vamp-Eric saw the different emotions flit across my face, and no doubt felt them as well. Interpreting them, he informed me, "I ordered him to stay away from you."

"You _what_?" I spluttered, almost too angry to speak.

It wasn't enough that Bill humiliated me by pretending to love me, and probably had all the vampires in Shreveport laughing along with him. Now I had his boss poking his nose in, and deciding how I would deal with the problem. I never even got a chance to decide how I felt about Bill, or whether I wanted to hear an explanation from him. Eric just decided for me that I wouldn't see him. I felt that I had been robbed of the ability to make my own peace with Bill's betrayal, and made to look even more pathetic, since I apparently needed Eric to shield me from further distress.

Eric frowned, and spoke slowly, "I ordered him to stay away from you. He rushed back from Peru the moment I told him you knew the truth. No doubt he would have turned up here begging for forgiveness. So I made him stay away."

Of all the high-handed, arrogant, interfering... "And you just decided this? Without asking me? Who the _hell_ do you think you are, running my life for me?"

In an instant his face turned cold and hard, and he stepped closer, towering over me. He was angry, very angry. Eric didn't like to be yelled at, and I didn't think I'd ever spoken to him quite like that before. But screw it, I was too angry to care.

"Do you _want_ to see him?" he asked, icily.

"No!"

"Then what, may I ask, is your problem?"

"My problem is you interfering in my private life – and without asking me, without even mentioning it!"

"You didn't want to see Bill, and you haven't seen him. What does my part in it matter?"

"Because my problems with Bill are _my _problems, for _me_ to work out." I made an effort to calm myself. Shouting at Eric wouldn't achieve anything, except to make him even more difficult to deal with than he was normally. What was done, was done, and I couldn't really say I was surprised that Eric would pull a move like this. Now I just wanted the subject finished with. Dragging my humiliation and hurt out for Eric to see again, and for Alcide to gawk at, wasn't helping.

"Do you want me to tell him he can visit you, then?" As I calmed down, Eric seemed to as well.

I thought about his offer, but the last thing I wanted was for Bill to think I'd actually asked to see him. I didn't want to initiate anything – I just wanted whatever would happen to happen, without any interference from Eric.

"Could you just not say anything else to him about it, and if he asks again, tell him he can do whatever he wants?"

"Fine," he answered, grudgingly.

The three of us stood silently on the porch, regrouping. Alcide, who had wisely stayed well out of the argument, was the first to speak again.

"Sookie, as my friend, will you please help Debbie?"

I couldn't believe he'd sink so low. "I don't understand why you're blaming yourself for this. And having learned whatever it is that led you to abjure her, why do you care anymore what happens to her?" Of course, I could have answered these questions myself, but I was irritated enough that I wanted to make him spell it out.

As I'd predicted, he didn't find it easy to answer me. After a long silence, he spoke hesitantly, "If I hadn't abjured her, she wouldn't have been alone and vulnerable. After I put her in that situation, I can't just leave her to suffer at the hands of the witches."

I raised my eyebrow cynically, "Is that all?"

He sighed, "No... I care about her, despite everything... I can't seem to help myself, but I can't bear for anything bad to happen to her. I'm sorry, Sookie." At least he seemed to understand what an idiot he was being, and how much he was asking of me. Vamp-Eric was sneering horribly of course, but he wasn't voicing his opinion this time.

I echoed his sigh with my own, "I don't like it Alcide, but you know I'm going to help with whatever you two are up to anyway. If that includes rescuing Debbie, then that's just too bad for me."

Alcide ignored my obvious reluctance, and the implication that I was being coerced, and instead reacted to the news that I'd help him rescue Debbie. "Thanks Sookie! I knew I could count on you." He grinned, his anxiety lifting a little knowing he'd have the use of my ability.

"Shall we go then?" Vamp-Eric asked. He was looking very satisfied, I suppose because Alcide had done the unpleasant job for him of asking me to go with them.

"In a minute." I replied, reaching back to open the door again.

It seemed for a moment that vamp-Eric would object, but I pointedly turned my back on him and re-entered my kitchen. I had agreed to endanger myself by going with him tonight, so the least he could do was give me a moment alone with my Viking before I left.

Human-Eric looked predictably unhappy – he hadn't needed to hear our conversation to know why his vampire self was here. I knew he didn't want me to go, but he hadn't tried to talk me out of it. Apparently expecting the world to be re-arranged to suit him was a personality trait he would pick up as a vampire. His human self was more reasonable.

I thought our goodbye would be a silent one, as he pulled me into him and we shared a kiss, all without an exchange of words. After all, there wasn't anything to say. He wanted me to be careful, and I would be, as much as I could. He wanted me to come back to him, and I hoped I would. I wanted him to stay with me longer, but neither of us had any control over that. I thought to myself that if all went well, this could be one of my last nights with him, and yet I was going to spend it with his vampire self.

He gave me a sad smile, and I turned away, thinking we were done. Eric caught up to me though as I reached the door, and caught my hand.

"I do not trust the vampire. I think he always has more than one purpose, and this spy mission is no exception. I also think that he will not hesitate to send you into danger."

He was probably right on both counts, but I wasn't sure what he expected me to do about it. I was trying to think of an appropriate reply, when he continued.

"Just think about it when you are with him, and be alert to his possible motives. Do not let him manipulate you."

"Eric..." I shook my head at his optimism, "I don't think anyone ever _lets_ Eric Northman manipulate them – I certainly haven't. He's just very good at it." I could think of numerous occasions on which the devious vampire had got the better of me. He did have about a thousand years on me, as well as all his experience in twisty vamp politics.

At that moment my front door opened and vamp-Eric stuck his head in. "Are you quite finished in here?"

"You keep your hands – and your fangs – off her tonight, vampire." My Viking growled menacingly at his vampire self.

Vamp-Eric smirked, "I won't do anything Sookie doesn't want me to."

Human-Eric growled at the suggestion that I might want his vampire self to touch me. I was annoyed by all their stupid posturing about me, and I wanted to get this evening over with. I leant back towards human-Eric, intending to give him a quick kiss goodbye before leaving, but he grabbed me, kissing me deeply and running his hands over my body.

I was swept away by the experience and completely forgot about vamp-Eric, until human-Eric stopped kissing me, and straight away looked past me towards the door, looking smug and satisfied.

I spun around to see the doorway was now empty. Clearly vamp-Eric didn't want to hang around to watch our make-out session. Just as clearly, human-Eric kissed me like that simply to mark his territory. I was pissed. He didn't even pause between finishing the kiss and looking to see vamp-Eric's reaction. It was insulting and insensitive and typically Eric – vampire or human. I pushed him away from me and left, and luckily for him he didn't try to follow me. I didn't appreciate him using me to make his vampire self jealous.

When I got outside, Alcide was already sitting in the car, and vamp-Eric was leaning against it, waiting for me. He didn't mention the kiss at all, he didn't even seem angry. In fact, he opened the door for me and took my hand, helping me in. It found it a little weird, and I would have refused his hand if it wouldn't have been so rude. I could tell by the way Alcide furrowed his eyebrows that he thought it was weird, too.

On the way to wherever we were going, I found out what had happened from Alcide and Eric. To my satisfaction, it was a shifter – who was in her racoon form at the time – who had seen an unconscious Debbie being carried into a house in Shreveport by two Weres, who were presumably witches as well. She had let Sam know, and he'd contacted Eric first thing that evening to give him the news. To his credit, Eric wasn't at all loath to admit the source of his information. He was so thrilled to be taking the fight to Hallow at last that he didn't care how he'd managed it, even if that meant accepting help from my lowly shifter friend.

Meanwhile, no one had known that Debbie was missing, since she'd been abjured by Alcide the night before and so no one expected to see her. Eric had called Alcide to arrange some Weres as back up for tonight, and mentioned Debbie as an afterthought. Now we were going to confirm that it was indeed Hallow who was responsible for Debbie's kidnapping, and to find out who she had staying with her at this house. Eric was intending to attack the following evening, basing his plans on whatever information we could gather that night.

After a long, irritating drive during which Eric continued with his weird touchy-feely behaviour and Alcide awkwardly tried to avoid mentioning it while making conversation with me, we arrived at our destination. It was a suburban street like any other in the area. There didn't seem to be anything that screamed 'Secret lair of Were witches and evil fairies'. I supposed though that it wouldn't be any good as a hide-out if it was obvious. I wondered how we were going to approach without them noticing us – the street was well lit, and anyone walking down it would be pretty they were confident enough not to have a look out, we might be ok, as long as we didn't stand in a group right in front of the house. That would be stupid.

As soon as the car stopped, Alcide jumped out and ran off – presumably to meet up with the other Shreveport Weres who were lurking somewhere, but equally he could have been escaping from the two of us. I wouldn't have blamed him.

Eric zipped around to help me out of the car before I even had a chance to open the door. I frowned at him but took his hand anyway. As soon as I was standing I tried to take my hand back, but he held onto it firmly, and reached forward with his other hand to play with my hair again, as he'd been doing all the way to Shreveport.

I was about done with being polite, and I was going to tell him on no uncertain terms to cut it out, when he suddenly pressed me against the car with his body, and leaned in for a kiss. His hands reached round to cup my ass, and although his fangs weren't out, I could feel other evidence of his arousal rubbing against me.

I responded without thinking, moving my lips against his. I was so used to kissing Eric, even if this was the wrong one. As he'd cunningly avoided giving me time anticipate his actions, my body began reacting to his familiar closeness before my mind could remind me that this was a different Eric, and one that I didn't want to risk getting too close to. I'd been swept up in the experience of kissing this Eric before, and now it was harder than ever to resist.

I caught myself as I was snaking my arms around his neck, and tried to pull back. Pressed up against the car as I was though, there wasn't anywhere to pull back to. Thankfully, however, Eric noticed my resistance and stepped away slightly himself, watching me carefully for my reaction.

'Eric-,' I began, trying to work out how to tell him that I wasn't going to cheat on him with, well, himself.

'Yes, my Sookie?' he responded, taking my hand again and stroking it lightly with his thumb.

I was sick of this possessive vampire routine – particularly as I so _wasn't_ his, in any capacity. It was a bit much that he was referring to me as 'his Sookie' now. I took a breath to tell him so, when I noticed something that had been on the edge of my consciousness for a while.

"There are two other vampires here somewhere?" I wasn't particularly alarmed, as Eric must have known they were there. I was interested though in knowing what their role that night would be, since I was involved myself, and I wanted to be prepared for whatever was going to happen. I was also embarrassed that this scene was playing out in front of them.

"Yes. They are here to observe, and in case they are needed."

"Where are they?" I only had the vaguest idea, and couldn't see any sign of them.

"Staying out of sight."

Fine, well, I didn't really need to know where they were. I was slightly curious about which vampires were here, in case it was anyone I knew, but I didn't bother asking as he was obviously going to be tight-lipped about it.

Having established that the vampires I noticed were here under orders, and that Eric wouldn't tell me anything about them, I got ready to fight off his attentions again. However, before I could say anything, he dropped my hand and walked off.

"Come." He said, looking back over his shoulder at me.

I followed him resignedly, realising I wasn't going to get any explanation for the kiss, or his weird behaviour beforehand. I scanned the houses we were walking past. Most had lights on in the windows, and I wondered how Hallow and her coven had been smuggling kidnap victims into one of them without anyone noticing. More magic?

We'd only walked part way down the street when I became aware of snarly Were minds around us, and Eric stopped in the shadow of someone's shrubbery. Were these the Weres on our side, or those working with Hallow? More importantly, where were they? I felt that we were almost surrounded by the six Were minds, yet I couldn't see them anywhere. The street didn't provide much in the way of concealment – in fact Eric and I were standing in the best cover.

The Weres began moving towards us, and to my relief I recognised Alcide's thoughts. Eric chose this moment to move closer to me, brushing my hand with his. Then he leaned in and rubbed his cheek against mine very slightly. I squirmed uncomfortably, but didn't bother pushing him away – I knew from past experience it wouldn't achieve anything, and I was more interested in figuring out where Alcide and the other Weres were, since they were so close and I still hadn't seen them.

As I started looking around for them, I suddenly realised they were right in front of us. It was as if they'd been there the whole time, and I'd only just noticed them. Alcide stood ahead of the others, and was still behaving awkwardly, looking slightly past Eric and I rather than straight at us.

Eric noticed my jerk of surprise. "What is it, my Sookie?"

I let the 'my Sookie' thing pass again, in favour of more important matters. Addressing Alcide, I asked, "Where did you all come from? I thought you were hiding somewhere and then you were just right in front of me."

Alcide looked perplexed, but Eric was nodding thoughtfully, "it makes sense that Hallow would use her magic to hide her activities from human eyes."

That made a lot of sense, and I felt creeped out by the idea that there could be a whole army of Were witches and fairies right in front of me and I'd never see them. It was some comfort that I would at least hear the thoughts of whoever was nearby before they could sneak up on me.

If Alcide was uncomfortable for some reason, the other Weres with him didn't seem so affected. Instead they stared at Eric and me openly, wearing expressions ranging from interest to disgust. I caught from one mind that that last emotion was aimed squarely at me, though I couldn't hear why. Possibly because I was hanging out with vampires, or maybe even simply because I'm me. That had been enough to earn people's disgust before. If I hadn't already felt unenthused about helping them, then this would have done it for me.

Alcide cleared his throat, then spoke abruptly, "That scent cloaking magic means I can't tell if she's here. We need Sookie to listen in on whoever's in the house."

By 'she', he must have meant Debbie. Of course he would act as though locating her was the top priority. Then I felt guilty for thinking that; saving a life _should _be the most important thing we did here tonight, rather than resolving Eric's war with the Were witches. Normally there would be no question in my mind that this was the case, but I just couldn't muster up a lot of enthusiasm for rescuing Debbie.

"Which house am I listening in on?" I didn't fancy going through the minds of every family on the street, hoping to come across a bunch of Weres at some point.

Eric put his hand on my shoulder, and spoke intently, "Sookie, do you see the grey house with the overgrown garden, across the street from us and down two houses?"

I frowned in confusion, as the only houses I could see across the street had very small, neat gardens, and they were all painted white. I figured the spell was interfering with my perception again.

"Nope. I can't see it. Any ideas on how to get around that spell?"

Alcide sighed in frustration, and another Were, a red-haired woman who had been broadcasting her disgust a moment before, sneered at me. But Eric looked thoughtful, and then started describing the house to me in detail, as well as those on either side of it. I picked out the two neighbouring houses easily enough, but they seemed to be right next to each other. But as I really looked for the different features Eric was describing to me, I realised that there _was_ another house there. It wasn't as if it materialised in front of me or anything, I just... became aware of it. I guessed if you knew what you were looking for, you could find it despite the spell. I could see though how it would be pretty effective at hiding Hallow's activities from the general public.

"Got it!"

Eric grinned at me, and Alcide relaxed, then looked expectant. I realised it was time now for me to do my thing. I hoped I wouldn't regret this, but realised I probably would. I knew from the encounter in Merlotte's that Hallow would know if I was mentally spying on her, and so I was nervous at the prospect of encountering her now.

Debbie's thoughts were easy to find, and despite myself I was relieved to learn that she was still alive. Instead of the usual hatred and spitefulness, her mind was awash with fear and uncertainty. There was also a fair bit of pain, and I flinched at that.

Noticing my reaction and misinterpreting it, Alcide paled. "She's dead?" he almost howled out, his voice sounded very loud in the still night.

"Quiet!" Eric hissed furiously, looking as though he'd shut Alcide up permanently if it weren't for the noise it would make.

"No! No," I quickly reassured Alcide, "She's alive, and conscious, but hurt."

"How many are in there, and what are they?" Eric questioned me, supremely uninterested in Debbie's well-being.

Before I could answer him there was a commotion among the Weres, and Eric's fangs ran out, his fists clenched as he simmered with rage, "Fuck!"

I jumped at this unusual – for him – exclamation, and looked around apprehensively for its cause.

Taking in the scene in front of me, I felt much the same as Eric. Alcide was nowhere to be seen, and there was a wolf running towards Hallow's hideout. So much for the super-secret spy mission.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Darcy's been unwell recently, so no one in our house has been sleeping much. She's much better now though, so I've been able to finish this chapter at last. It's great to have a happy baby again, and great to be writing this again - it's so much fun. Thanks again for all your reviews, I love reading them!

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks, for getting this back to me so quickly, even though she's enjoying a long weekend with her family.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I could see that Eric's first impulse was to go after Alcide and bring him back. It was clear to everyone though that not even Eric would be fast enough to stop the Were before he blew our cover.

Instead, we all stood and watched in horrified fascination as Alcide threw himself through a front window with a loud crash, eliciting yells from those inside.

The situation was deteriorating quickly, as three other wolves followed Alcide, and those left shifted as well and started snapping at each other, frightened and indecisive. Eric was vibrating with tension, his desire for action warring with the need for caution.

"Eric," I spoke urgently, "there are only three other people in there. Two Weres and a fairy, I think." The third mind was similar to my great grandfather's.

He frowned, then nodded at me. Having apparently come to a decision he was gone in the next moment, closely followed by the remaining Weres, who had heard my pronouncement. I saw Eric again as he paused outside the broken window before entering. In the mere moments between Alcide's rash actions and now, all hell had broken loose, and I was left standing on the pavement by myself, listening to the growls and shrieks emanating from inside the house and wondering whether I should be in there too.

I figured it would be a pretty short fight, and it would be better for me to wait outside until I was needed than to risk getting caught up in the carnage. I had a momentary thought of trying to find Debbie and help her to safety, but I couldn't really stomach the idea, and I knew that Alcide would go straight to her anyway.

I was listening in to try to get an idea of what was happening, and I had just identified one of the Were witches as Hallow's brother, when I was surprised by his sudden disappearance. I realised the fairy was gone too, and it wasn't hard to figure out what had happened. I cringed, imagining Eric's displeasure. At least with only one enemy Were left the danger was considerably less, and so the harm caused by Alcide's stunt would be minor... in terms of casualties, anyway, though I had a feeling Eric would be more concerned about the setback this incident would cause in his war with Hallow. Having spent all this time searching for the Were witch he'd finally found her hide out, only to have to start from scratch again. I didn't imagine that Hallow or any of her coven would be back here again, when her brother filled her in on what had happened.

It was only a few minutes later when Eric and the Weres left the house, this time via the front door. The Weres were in their human forms once again, and everyone looked unscathed, save Debbie who was limping along with Alcide's help. She was covered in bruises from head to toe, and I inhaled sharply, imagining the pain of it. I had endured a fair few beatings myself, so I knew how she must be feeling, and I pitied her a little.

The Weres seemed boisterous and happy now, except for Alcide who alternated between regarding Debbie with sad eyes, and shooting nervous glances at Eric.

Eric had some small amount of blood around his face and upper body, though he didn't seem to be wounded. That didn't tell me much, as he could have healed from his injuries. He still looked very angry, although the fight had obviously burned off some of his tension. There was no one else with them, and I didn't ask what had happened to the one remaining enemy Were. I could guess.

I didn't say anything, opting to stay out of the whole situation. Debbie noticed me immediately though and hissed at Alcide, "What is that bitch doing here?"

Alcide tried to quiet her, "Shh, Debbie, Sookie helped us find you."

"Came to gloat more like, and admire her handiwork."

How she'd decided that this was my fault, I didn't know, and I wasn't inclined to try dipping into her head either.

Alcide was looking increasingly agitated, but before he could say anything more, Eric growled out, "Leave."

He was eying Debbie murderously, and Alcide didn't need much encouraging. He hustled Debbie away from us, and before long they'd turned a corner and left our sight.

Eric regarded the excitable Weres with derision, and then turned in the direction of his car, circling my waist with his arm and pulling me with him. I opened my mouth to object to the treatment, but he silenced me with a stony glance and a slight squeeze of my body. He obviously wasn't in the mood for any arguments, and while I didn't like going along with this, I wasn't going to provoke him by making a fuss.

We'd only moved a few steps when one of the Weres, a young male with spiky hair, jogged up behind us and questioned Eric, "What happens now? Do you still want a watch kept on this house?"

Eric answered without stopping, or turning to look at the Were, "No."

The young Were slowed down a little, picking up on the hostility. He persisted though, "So... you'll let us know when we're going to take on the witch again?"

This time, Eric stopped suddenly, let go of me, and whirled around to face the Were, "_If_ I manage to locate Hallow again, what makes you think that I'll make the mistake again of bringing such poor allies with me to the fight? If the Were bitch manages to kill a few more of you in the mean time, I will consider it a personal favour."

The Were drew in a shocked breath, and then his expression turned furious, "Fucking vampire-" he began. Eric, however, had turned on his heel and marched away, grabbing my wrist and dragging me along with him.

I couldn't help but wonder if alienating the Weres at this point was a good idea. Surely Eric wouldn't want to fight Hallow and her coven, and possibly Breandan's fairies, with only his area's vampires to rely on, and no Were reinforcements. And was there a chance that the Shreveport pack could yet decide to side with Hallow if Eric made himself too difficult to work with? Giving vent to his frustration like that could end up costing him, but I wasn't about to point that out right now, with the mood he was in.

As we approached Eric's car, he growled quietly to himself, and ran his hands through his hair. He was looking less angry now, and more in control of himself. Maybe the same thought had occurred to him and he was now regretting his actions, but he didn't say anything about it.

The ride home was silent. Eric wasn't talking, and I didn't feel brave enough to begin a conversation myself. He seemed especially frightening that night, with his cold silence and blood spattered face. There was no more hair stroking, or hand brushing.

I tried to imagine being frightened of _my _Eric, and couldn't picture the funny, affectionate man I'd come to love looking so menacing. Then I remembered the night I'd met him, and I wondered if this was what he looked like to his enemies when he was out raiding. As much as I might want to, I couldn't blame vampirism for everything that scared me about Eric. Eric's human self was just as capable of violence as the vampire version, and in fact he enjoyed it. Was I fooling myself that I felt safe with my Viking, while I sometimes felt the urge to run far, far away from vamp-Eric? Then again, human-Eric had never threatened to torture me.

When we arrived back at my house, I was pleased to note that human-Eric was not wandering around outside, but had instead stayed within the relative safety of its walls, as I'd asked. I was eager to go inside and be greeted by him. After my strange and unpleasant evening I was looking forward to my Viking's company, even after the stunt he'd pulled earlier, proclaiming me as his just like a possessive vampire would do. In fact, if he wanted to indulge in some more claiming tonight, I wouldn't be opposed to that either, as long as we didn't have vamp-Eric as a witness this time.

As I went to climb out of the car – vamp-Eric didn't, by the way, rush around to help me this time – I prepared to break our silence at last. While I didn't want to aggravate him further by referencing what a disaster the night had been, I really did want to know what was going to happen next.

Before I could ask though, Eric spoke of his own accord, "I will collect you when you're needed again." His eyes were facing forward as he said this, and almost before I'd closed the door he'd thrown the car into gear and roared away. Jerk.

As I trudged up the steps I wished to myself that vamp-Eric was less moody – it made him a real pain to be around sometimes. I had to admit though that I wasn't feeling particularly jolly myself. Quite apart from the fact that I'd had to see Debbie again, and been treated like I was scum by Alcide's fellow Weres, the night had just been so... anticlimactic.

I'd spent almost two weeks both anticipating and dreading the day when vamp-Eric would find Hallow and force her to reverse the spell – ending my perpetual fear of discovery, but returning human-Eric to where he came from. I'd been terrified of using my ability against Hallow again, sickened at the idea of the bloodshed which capturing her would surely require, and worried about the further damage Hallow would cause if she remained at large. That night I'd felt all of these things, and had been bracing myself for something bad to happen – If not the death of some of the supes I knew, then at least the end of my time with human-Eric. Now we appeared to be back where we started, and I didn't know whether to be relieved or upset.

I supposed though that I could at least be relieved that Eric didn't do anything violent to Alcide. Poor, foolish, love sick Alcide.

Human-Eric had obviously heard my return, and had been eagerly awaiting me. No sooner had I closed the door behind me then I was pressed against it by his large, warm body.

Placing his hands against the door on either side of me, and leaning forward, he spoke huskily into my ear, "I missed you. I worried for you."

Then his tongue parted my lips in a kiss which was all for me this time, not for the benefit of someone else. I always enjoyed kissing Eric, and I responded enthusiastically, wrapping my arms around his neck and tangling my hands in his long golden hair. Making happy noises, he hitched my thighs up around his waist, and started grinding into me. Lost to the sensations of it all, I moaned into his mouth and clawed at his back, wishing his shirt would magically disappear.

To my great pleasure, it wasn't long before the shirt, and the rest of his clothes, were lying in a pile on my bedroom floor, along with my own. As he slid into me, my hands kneaded his back again, this time running freely over his hot skin and hard muscles. With every thrust I threw my head back and cried out and a little while later, as Eric shuddered, and moaned into my shoulder, I decided that it hadn't been such a bad night after all.

While my Viking hadn't seemed that interested in being filled in on events the previous night, he questioned me very intently indeed when we awoke the next morning. We'd slept in quite late, since it had been a long night, and I didn't have to work that day. Sitting at the table eating breakfast, Eric looked off into space thoughtfully as he processed all I'd told him.

He hadn't spoken in a long time, and I'd chosen to leave him to his thoughts, concentrating on my own breakfast, and trying to think about happier things than my little outing with vamp-Eric and Alcide the night before. So it took me a moment to realise he was speaking.

"Sookie?" He brought me out of my reverie, and I focused on him.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

I had found this morning that I had to make a conscious effort not to imagine his face streaked with blood, as that of his vampire self had been the night before. Sex had worked great for blocking it all out when I'd gotten home, but I really wasn't in the mood for that right now. I felt uneasy all over again remembering my thoughts about Eric's blood-thirsty side.

"I was asking whether you though it was a bad thing, that you did not find Hallow." He narrowed his eyes as he looked at me closely, continuing "And now I would like to know why you are looking at me like that. Surely you do not fear my anger over the events of last night? From what you have said, it was entirely that dog's fault." For all his distaste for vampires, he'd picked up vamp-Eric's prejudices very quickly.

"Oh... _Oh._" It was a very loaded question, that about Hallow. I opted to ignore the rest of his question, as I certainly wasn't going to let him in on my doubts about him. "I think Hallow is too dangerous, and frankly too nuts to be running free, although I'm not sure how I'd feel about the vampires slaughtering her entire coven, either."

He gave me an incredulous look, presumably because I wasn't eager to bathe in Hallow's blood. Stupid Viking. Then he glared at me, "That is not what I meant, as I think you well know."

Damn. "Well... you do need to go home... don't you?" I sounded more uncertain about this than I'd intended. While I understood the necessity, I really didn't want him to leave. He'd said a few things during our time together that made me think he wasn't so sure he wanted to go home himself.

Eric looked torn, so I guessed I was right about his indecision. "I want vengeance. I do not appreciate being arbitrarily shifted around in time to suit the purposes of some crazed supernatural woman."

I waited. He hadn't addressed the real issue.

Realising this, he sighed and continued, "I want to stay here with you, I do. You have become... very important to me. I could enjoy spending my life with you." Then he grinned wryly, "I will also miss the shower, and the TV, and so many other wonderful things from this time."

Hearing that he wanted to stay with me – that he would spend his life with me – had me grinning foolishly and reaching out to clutch his hand. I could sense though that this wasn't the full story, and sure enough he had more to say.

"But I know very little about this time, about this place. All I know is you, and your house. There may be many things that I would not like about living here permanently. And living in my own time may be uncomfortable, and hard, but there are many things about it that I would miss – the community, and the traditions we live by," he smiled a particularly feral smile, and added, "the fighting, too. I would very much miss the fighting. Apparently the only people who engage in battle around here are supernatural beings, and I'm not allowed to fight them." He looked at me reproachfully as he said this last bit.

There was the longest silence, and I thought he had finished answering my question. I wondered about the people he would miss from his time, and whether he had left out talking about them on purpose. I didn't feel I could bring it up though, if he chose not to. But it turned out he did intend to talk about his family, only it took him a while to work up to it.

"The only reason I would really go back though is for my family." His voice was heavy, and his handsome face was so sad suddenly that I wanted to hug him – but I sat quietly and waited for him to continue.

"I miss my children. I want to see them grow, and ensure that they are cared for."

Of course he would want to return to his own time so he could be with his children. I wouldn't have expected him to choose me over them, and I wouldn't want him to, either. It hurt to hear it, nonetheless.

I rushed to reassure him, wanting to wipe the pain from his expression, "You'll get back home, Eric. Hallow has most of the supernaturals of Shreveport looking for her now, and I'll help too, however I can."

"But I don't want to go back to my own time, Sookie."

I was thrown into confusion, and waited for Eric to explain.

"I will not be going back to my community, and Viking traditions. I will not be going back to my children. I will be going back to life as a vampire." I understood now, and my heart broke for him.

"As I understand it, I will barely be reunited with my family when I will be killed and brought back to life as a monster. I am not interested in living for a thousand years – why prolong a miserable existence?"

I put my arms around him now, offering what comfort I could. But there was more that had to be said, much as I hated it. So I pulled back from him and took his hand again.

"Eric, honey, you know that your vampire self won't let you stay here, don't you?" I said gently.

His lost expression turned serious, dangerous even. "We could kill him." He looked me straight in the eye as he said it.

"Eric no!" I was so agitated I jumped out of my seat.

He stood up too, "Together, we could do it. Jason could help. The vampire will not be expecting it."

I was shocked, not just at his willingness to kill his own self, but at the very idea of trying to kill vamp-Eric. I might prefer the human version, but I still liked the vampire, most of the time. I wanted no part of any plan to do away with him. Not to mention, the idea of plotting against the formidable vampire Sheriff terrified me. Human-Eric's willingness to endanger Jason and I was a bit disconcerting, too.

"We are absolutely not going to even think about it," I said in my firmest voice, "not only is it far too dangerous, I don't want your vampire self to die. He doesn't deserve to die," I argued, not at all sure that this was the truth, even if I did like him, "and he's... well he's you." The idea of killing a man I loved, even a much older, much changed man, repulsed me. I didn't want to see any version of Eric meet his final death.

"But he's a _vampire_," he reminded me, as if I was slow.

"I don't want to kill anyone, I don't care who – or what – they are." I looked away, momentarily disgusted by his bloodthirsty ways.

"Sookie, this is my life at stake."

His tone of voice caused me to look back at him. He looked imploring. He looked frightened. That shook me up a bit – it wasn't an expression I was used to seeing on that handsome face, human or vampire.

I had been aware that Eric didn't like the idea of becoming a vampire, but this was the first indication I'd had of just how violently opposed to the idea he was. Now it seemed like the knowledge of his future was making him desperate, and I wondered just how long this fear had been festering behind his open, happy expression, without me even realising it.

I had killed Lorena to save Bill. But it was her or me, and while it hadn't left me feeling great about myself, I didn't see what else I could have done. That situation couldn't even be compared to this one, anyway. It wasn't vamp-Eric's fault that some vampire picked him all those years ago.

My anger and disgust were gone now. I'd be frightened too. But I really had to put a stop to this before it went any further.

I put my arms around his waist, and stepped into him, leaning my head on his chest. He stood still, waiting for my response. I breathed in his smell, and felt the heat of his body. I wanted to cry, but I didn't feel like I had the right to. It wasn't happening to me, being forced into the life of a vampire.

"I wish I could help you," I said quietly, "I don't want you to become a vampire. But killing vampire Eric isn't an option. It's too dangerous, and it's not right." Since I didn't think he'd be swayed by my moral argument, I added, "and how do you think the other vampires will react if you kill their leader? You'll be no use to them anymore if your vampire self is dead, or non-existent. I certainly wouldn't last long either, if I'd helped you. Probably even if I hadn't."

I knew I'd gotten through to him at last when he slumped and rested his head on mine. I didn't feel good about it.

"You are right. Killing the vampire, however satisfying, would accomplish nothing."

He sounded defeated, and I patted his arm ineffectually, "I'm sorry."

Eric didn't mention killing his vampire self, or his reluctance to return home, again, and I didn't remind him of it. While he seemed to return to his usual happy self, I knew now that he wasn't quite so carefree as he appeared to be, and I felt for him.

It was three days later I was reminded that I had other problems, apart from Hallow's continued elusiveness, and Eric's dark future – problems which I shouldn't have shoved to the back of my mind.

The day started well enough. Eric and I had stayed in bed late – not sleeping – and watched crappy TV together with breakfast. Eric's understanding of the modern world had improved to the point he was able to follow most of the shows I enjoyed, and laugh at the jokes a lot of the time.

I was working that day, and I was in an ok mood as I kissed my Viking goodbye. I was looking forward to working my shift at Merlotte's, and I was optimistic that Sam would be able to give me some useful information about Jason's stalker, Crystal. I'd largely shaken off my angst over vamp-Eric's failed attempt to capture Hallow, and I was quite relieved that I hadn't heard from him since. I was feeling a bit wary of him after his recent disappointment, and also I didn't want to have to search human-Eric for stakes if his vampire self was to pay us a visit.

Merlotte's was already busy when I got there in the mid-afternoon, so it wasn't until after closing that I could get Sam alone to ask him about Crystal.

"I'd kind of thought your problems with Hallow would be finished with, after what I passed on to Eric." He said, as soon as he'd closed the office door.

"This is about something else."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember the shifter Jason was here with on New Year's Eve?"

"Uh, sure, one of the Norris girls. From Hotshot."

I felt a rush of hope – he knew of her, at least, so maybe he really could tell me something that would help Jason. "Yeah, her name's Crystal. What do you know about her?"

"I know you'll want to tell Jason to watch himself, if he's gotten mixed up with her."

"I'm afraid it's a bit late for that."

"I see; it's like that. What's your fool brother gone and done this time?"

"Actually, he hasn't done anything this time. He listened to me when I told him not to get involved with her, and tried to put an end to their, ah, association. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer though."

Sam looked kind of amused, perhaps thinking that Jason's luck with women had finally turned on him. I didn't like that he wasn't taking this seriously, "Sam, she left a disembowelled deer on his doorstep. She's showed herself to him in her panther form. She's not fooling around, here. I'm real worried about Jason."

He sobered up immediately. "Sorry Sookie. You're right; he could be in a lot of danger. What can I do?"

"I really just hoped you'd know something about her that would help, or you'd have some advice for me..."

He blew his breath out in a big puff, and looked thoughtful, "You don't want to try confronting her, that's for sure."

"I wasn't planning on it, believe me."

"Well... I can't imagine Calvin'll be happy to hear about how she's behaving. She's risking exposure for the whole Hotshot community." Seeing my confused expression, he explained, "They're real different over at Hotshot. _Real_ different. They're a whole community of were-panthers, and Calvin's the one in charge."

"Oh..." It was a lot to absorb. A whole community of shifters. No wonder Sam had said Jason should watch himself.

I forced my mind back to the issue at hand, "So you think this Calvin would call her off?"

"I don't know, Sookie. I think it's the only thing you can try though."

His words were not reassuring. "Is it safe to go out there and talk to him, do you think?"

"I'll go with you."

I almost told him not to worry about it – I felt like I'd involved him in my problems enough, recently. I realised though that I'd be a fool to refuse him. "Thanks Sam, I'd really appreciate that. When are you free?"

"I won't be able to get away during the day tomorrow. Will the next day be alright for you?"

As much as I wanted to get the situation with Crystal sorted out as soon as possible, I realised one more day wasn't likely to make a big difference, considering she'd been stalking Jason for two weeks now. We arranged a time to meet outside the bar, and then I prepared to go home for the evening.

"Wait, Sookie?" Sam stopped me as I was about to leave.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"What's the situation with Hallow? There're a lot of people waiting to hear."

Of course, I should have realised that the supernaturals of Shreveport would all be waiting for the all clear. As it was, they were on edge, waiting to be attacked by Hallow's coven.

"You want to tell people to keep being real careful, sorry Sam."

"That's alright, it's not your fault. I just needed to know."

There was no more conversation, and I got away a little earlier than I'd planned. I knew Eric would be pleased to see me home early, and I was looking forward to seeing him myself. As much as I enjoyed getting out for a bit, I hated leaving him alone. It was silly, since we'd had no indication that Hallow even knew I existed, but I always had that worry in the back of my mind that she'd swoop in and steal him away while I was gone. What I thought I could do to stop her if I was at home, I don't know.

When I arrived back home, I hurried up the steps and through the front door, looking forward to my welcome home kiss. I was disappointed not to find Eric waiting for me in the kitchen. I could hear that the TV was on – surely he wasn't so caught up in whatever he was watching that he didn't hear my car?

When I didn't find him sitting in front of the TV, I got a little worried. I started going through the house methodically, checking every room, and even the closets when I got desperate. He wasn't waiting for me in bed. He wasn't in the bathroom. He wasn't waiting to jump out at me from the linen closet. He hadn't fallen down unconscious on the stairs.

He wasn't anywhere. He was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Well I got this done really quickly, even though I've been completely distracted by Dead Reckoning, and Darcy who now wants to stay awake all day and be amused by me. Yay me! Thanks for your reviews, I do appreciate them :D

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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My heart beat wildly and adrenaline pumped around my body. I was terrified, horrified, and I didn't know what to do. I was sure that my worst fears had been realised, and Hallow had somehow discovered human-Eric, and taken him. I knew I should call vamp-Eric straight away, but I was scared of his reaction, and scared to stay where I was in case Hallow came back. I had an irrational impulse to run around outside screaming his name in the hope that I would find him somewhere, and that he'd be ok. My mind reeled with horrifying images of human-Eric in Hallow's grasp, and vamp-Eric forced into compliance. What would happen to them?

I found myself at the front door and opened it without really thinking – whether to leave before Hallow came back, or to search the woods for my Viking, I wasn't sure. I took some deep calming breaths, and resolved to call vamp-Eric; that was really the only sensible thing I could do right now.

Then as I made my way back to the kitchen, another thought occurred to me. If Hallow had taken human-Eric, why was there no evidence of it? I knew Eric would put up one hell of a fight, and yet everything looked exactly as it had when I left this morning. Even his sword was still leaning against the wall in the living room.

If he'd left without a struggle, was it possible he'd gone somewhere of his own accord? If I called vamp-Eric, would he end up punishing human-Eric for leaving the safety of my home? I stood in the kitchen, phone in my hand, dithering.

"I was told you'd get here later than this."

I spun around and clutched the bench behind me, staring in shock at the vampire standing just outside my door. He had my Viking with him, his hand on Eric's shoulder. The vampire was much shorter than Eric, and the scene would have been comical in other circumstances. Eric looked sullen. The vampire was absolutely expressionless. He was armed with a sabre.

It took me only a moment to realise that this white-blond, youthful-looking male vampire must be Andre. Oh hell. Vamp-Eric had told me he'd dealt with the situation by contacting the queen, and I'd pretty much forgotten about the threat, only trying to stay inside as much as possible after dark.

As I continued to stare at Andre, my mind racing, he spoke again.

"We were just visiting with your neighbour. I had intended to be here waiting when you returned." Now he smiled, as if this were a jolly social visit. I preferred him expressionless.

My eyes flicked to Eric again, and I was relieved that he at least seemed unharmed. I supposed that since Andre could glamour him, he wouldn't have had to use force.

I swallowed my fear, and tried to sound confident, "How can I help you?"

"If you invite me in, we can discuss it."

This was the last thing I wanted to do. "I'm sorry, I don't think so."

He didn't noticeably react to my refusal, "I came here to meet you, but much to my surprise I found this," he said, referring to Eric.

I waited nervously, wondering where he was going with this. Surely he wouldn't do anything to harm vamp-Eric, who was after all working for the same side?

"I don't think Sophie-Anne would want me to destroy one of her sheriffs..." Before I could feel relieved about this, he continued, "but this provides a fascinating opportunity for experiment."

He was looking at me expectantly, still with that smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" I hated the way my voice wavered. So much for sounding confident.

"For instance, if I cut off his fingers, what will happen to Eric the vampire?"

He spoke as though he was genuinely interested in finding out, and not threatening my lover to get to me. As I watched, he transferred his grip to Eric's wrist and reached for his sabre. I stood silently, thinking of what I could do to help Eric, and trying not to let my fear for him show on my face. Eric's jaw had set, and he stared straight ahead. He knew there could be no escape.

"On the other hand – aha – a disabled sheriff wouldn't be able to serve Sophie-Anne as capably." He looked thoughtful for a moment, before continuing, "Perhaps I could slice up his face a little, and see what effect that has."

As he brought his sabre to hover over Eric's face, I scrambled for something to say which would stop him, "Eric's presence draws people to Fangtasia. If you ruin his appearance, the bar won't make as much money."

I thought this was a strong argument, but Andre laughed, "I think you misunderstand the public's interest in us. It doesn't really matter what he looks like. In fact, tourists and fangbangers may be all the more enthralled by a disfigured vampire." Again, he waited expectantly.

I'm ashamed to say I hesitated. I couldn't see how our position would be improved if Andre had both of us at his mercy. I tried to think of a way to save Eric without handing myself over to the vampire.

Without warning, Andre made a sharp twisting, jerking motion with the hand wrapped around Eric's wrist. There was an audible snap as bones broke. Eric screamed. It was a horrible sound.

I was caught totally by surprise, and a sob escaped me before I could choke it back.

"_Youcancomein_," I couldn't speak the words fast enough as I took in Eric's ruined arm and his teeth clenched in pain.

Andre released Eric's arm, and my Viking dropped to his knees, holding himself up with his good arm while the other hung limply. I rushed forward to help him, but Andre stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"First we'll conduct our business, and then you can contact the sheriff and see to your friend here."

In a movement too quick for my eyes to follow, he bit into his wrist and then thrust it in my face.

"Drink," he said, trying to glamour me.

I recoiled from his bloody wrist, aghast. I'd imagined a lot of different scenarios when Andre showed up on my doorstep with Eric, but it never occurred to me he was here to make me drink his blood. I knew a little bit about the effects of this now, thanks to Bill and Eric, who had both given me their blood. I didn't want another vampire having insight into my emotions, or having control over me. Suddenly I was angry – this was like bullet sucking incident all over again, only this time I couldn't be tricked into it.

"No." I spoke very definitely, and clamped my mouth shut. I remembered our stash of anti-vampire weapons, and wished I'd thought to arm myself when I'd had the chance. Not that it would have done me any good, but I would have liked to have given him a few silver burns for his trouble.

He pressed closer to me, until I was backed up against a wall, and kept shoving his wrist towards my face even as I tried to push him away, a futile effort.

"Sophie-Anne has decided you can be of use to her, and we need you to be bound to one of us, so you must drink." He was very matter of fact about it, and I was fast realising that he would do whatever he had to to get his blood in me. I had no chance of fending off a determined vampire.

I looked past him to Eric, but I could see I wouldn't be getting any help from him, in fact he needed my help – and fast. His forearm was a mass of twisted flesh and bone fragments, and he was bleeding profusely. He looked about ready to pass out, whether from the pain or blood loss, I wasn't sure. His face was pale and sweaty, and his eyes were closed. Was he going into shock?

I was terrified he'd bleed out before I could get to him, and with a feeling of despair I realised that I would have to take Andre's blood. He'd get it into me anyway, and while my instinct was to fight him as long as I could, I just couldn't drag this out, or Eric could die.

I felt so helpless, and afraid, but I was proud of how strong my voice sounded when I spoke, "Alright, let's do this quickly then."

Andre smiled again, and I felt sick as I prepared to submit to this vampire who was a stranger to me, and who terrified me. The idea of being connected to him in any way was loathsome – but the idea of letting Eric die on my doorstep was worse.

Then I got a reprieve. As Andre reopened the wound on his wrist, vamp-Eric's imposing figure appeared on my porch. I'd never been so glad to see him, and I really hoped that he was here to help me. His uncertain expression didn't inspire confidence, however.

"Andre, are you sure that you should be doing this?"

What? If Andre said yes, would vamp-Eric go on his merry way?

Andre growled and whirled around at his words. He recovered as soon as he saw who it was, "Do you question the will of your queen?"

Vamp-Eric glanced down briefly at his human self, and then stepped over him to join us inside.

"It is not my intent to thwart her wishes." That wasn't the response I was hoping for, but he had more to say, "However, I happened to talk to Sophie-Anne on my way here, and I thought perhaps that you would like to have a word, as I still have her on the line." He bowed his head and spoke respectfully as he produced his cell phone and held it out.

Andre's posture straightened perceptibly, and he stepped away from me and reached for the phone. I could tell from his intent expression that the queen was speaking, though I couldn't hear her. I hoped desperately that she was telling him to leave me alone. It was clear to me that vamp-Eric had interfered as much as he would, and this phone call was my only chance at escaping Andre's plans for me. Surely though Eric would not have bothered to turn up at all if he hadn't thought it would do some good?

"Of course," Andre said at last, "I will see you soon."

He handed the phone back to Eric and then said to me, "Sophie-Anne informs me that it would have been wrong to do this." He turned back to Eric, "How lucky for us that you intervened."

Eric nodded in acknowledgement, and Andre spoke again, "I trust you have everything under control here? I'm afraid the injury couldn't be avoided."

"Of course," Eric replied.

Then Andre was gone, but I didn't have time to feel pissed off, or grateful, or relieved, or depressed. I went straight to my Viking, and vamp-Eric had the same idea.

He had collapsed in a heap by this time, but he opened his eyes when we crouched by him, and he actually smiled at me.

"You ok?" he asked, an expression he'd picked up from his beloved TV shows.

I didn't answer, and my fingers trembled as I stroked his face. There was blood everywhere, and I didn't want to look at his arm.

"Oh. Oh Eric, sweetie, we'll look after you. You'll be fine."

I looked at his vampire self for confirmation; he quirked his eyebrow at the endearment, but didn't comment.

"There's so much blood..." I couldn't help but point out, and then I wished I hadn't.

"Yes," agreed vamp-Eric, "a bone fragment must have snicked the radial artery. It could be worse, Andre did not intend for him to bleed out before I could save him. He won't last for long, however. I need to give him blood, where can he rest?"

"My bed," I answered, as vamp-Eric scooped up his human-self. My Viking visibly bit back another scream, instead making a low moaning noise as he was moved. He closed his eyes again.

I covered my bed with an old rug before human-Eric was laid down on it. Maybe I shouldn't have been thinking of my linen at a time like that, but I knew from experience that blood was a bitch to get out.

"Open your mouth" the vampire instructed my Viking, but he wasn't responding. Vamp-Eric slapped him awake, and I cringed at the brutal treatment.

Vamp-Eric tried again when human-Eric opened his eyes, "You must take my blood or we will both die."

Human Eric glared at him, but vamp-Eric simply returned the look – and his was a lot scarier. "Don't be stubborn. The only other option is amputation, and I will not go through eternity missing an arm for the sake of your pride."

Human-Eric finally relented, and vamp-Eric bit into his wrist and offered his blood. Remembering the last time I'd taken Eric's blood, I felt awkward watching them, but Vamp-Eric appeared to be unaffected.

When he'd decided human-Eric had had enough, Vamp-Eric pulled his arm away and left the room. I crawled onto the bed next to my Viking, and put an arm over him. His messy forearm was knitting back together as I watched, and his body relaxed as the pain left him.

I pushed my face into his hair and placed a kiss above his ear, feeling thankful that he was still here, wanting to wrap myself in him. He smiled sleepily, and clumsily leaned sideways to kiss my lips. I could tell he was struggling to stay awake, when he really needed to rest and recover.

"Sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

He didn't fight me on it, nodding slightly and sighing deeply before he fell asleep.

I wasn't surprised to find vamp-Eric waiting for me in the living room. I went to heat him up a bottle of blood, and he gulped it down on my return. I wondered what he wanted to talk about, and whether he would answer any of the many questions I had about the queen of Louisiana and her child. Probably not, I decided.

He spoke first, "Perhaps since the Viking will be out of action tonight..." he waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

He grinned widely, "I will hide my fangs and fumble about like a teenager – you will not know the difference."

"You know your fangs have never been the problem."

He scowled, and I immediately regretted my words. He'd been trying to lighten the mood after our eventful evening, and I'd ruined it by being serious, and possibly offensive. It was true though, what I'd said.

"Thank you. For intervening earlier, I mean. How did you know?"

"Bill called me."

Ah. I had wondered whether Bill would be able to help me, whether he'd even care what Andre did. He hadn't bothered to save me himself, though. That hurt more than I'd thought it would. I guess as much as I'd told myself that what we'd had meant nothing, part of me still wanted to believe that I was as special to him as he'd been to me.

"Bill did all that he could," Eric explained, guessing my thoughts. "Just making the phone call was risky. Andre will pay him back for that bit of interference, if he can. And even I could not have done anything further if Sophie-Anne had not been willing to call Andre off."

What he meant was, he couldn't have done anything further without losing his area, and risking his life. I supposed that was fair enough, though. I was just glad he'd shown up at all. And it wasn't just because of the danger Andre posed to his human self – he needn't have called Sophie-Anne at all, if he only cared about saving himself. Was he simply protecting his telepathic asset from being annexed by another vampire? Who knew?

"Any luck with the witches?" I asked.

He looked surprised at the change in subject, and then grim, "There's not a trace of Hallow anywhere, but I have to assume that she still has her coven searching for the Viking."

"And you only have another couple of weeks before..." I trailed off, wondering what had possessed me to bring up such a sore point.

"Yes, if I don't find her in the next two weeks, I will never become a vampire." He intoned, staring straight ahead. Yep, I had successfully extinguished any remaining light-heartedness from the conversation.

At least I'd managed to restrain my urge to ask him if that would be such a bad thing.

"And I had to tell the queen about my problems," he added gloomily.

"But does that mean she can help?"

"No. It just means I have even less time to put things right."

"Ah, I see," I psyched myself up to ask the questions I needed to, "So, about the queen..."

"Yes?" He looked wary, as I'd guessed he would.

"Should I be worried? Do you know what she has planned for me?"

He didn't answer for a long time, and then spoke carefully, thoughtfully, "Andre should not have acted as he did. I believe Sophie-Anne is very angry with him."

"Ok...?"

He looked straight at me with an expression I couldn't discern, "You will be safe. Sophie-Anne will leave you alone now that she knows you are already working for us." He spoke firmly, but more as if he hoped that saying it would make it so, than as though he were really sure.

I took his words to mean that I should indeed be worried, that Sophie-Anne did have some plan for me that was yet to be revealed. Hopefully though she would at least wait until after we'd dealt with Hallow; I really had enough on my plate right now.

"The Viking will be ok," he said suddenly, perhaps to give me something to feel good about.

"I know, it just wasn't any fun seeing him in that condition. It was my fault, for not taking Andre's threat seriously enough."

"It is as well he was rendered incapable of interfering. I have no doubts he would have tried to defend you, and I'm not sure that Andre would have had the necessary restraint to avoid killing him in that situation." He smiled slightly at my Viking's foolish bravery, and I thought it was the first time I'd seen him express any positive emotion towards his human self.

"He's a good man." Though I hadn't meant to, I realised I could be taken as implying vamp-Eric was not.

"You love him?"

"I do." I couldn't lie about it, but I hoped he wouldn't take it as encouragement. Being in a relationship with the human Eric in no way meant I was willing to start one with the vampire.

Eric's expression was thoughtful rather than predatory, then he jumped up looking slightly alarmed and said, "I must get back to Shreveport." He left as quickly as Andre had, before I could even say 'goodnight'. I wondered what was suddenly so urgent.

As I stood in the kitchen rinsing out Eric's empty bottle, I thought to myself that this was the most relaxed conversation I'd had with vamp-Eric since his human self entered my life. It felt like a return to our uneasy almost-friendship, and I found that I would miss him, if he didn't find Hallow in time. And he may not have been entirely frank with me, but he had given me at least some information to work with.

Now I had to wonder what I could do with that information, if anything. I hadn't even been able to defend myself from Andre, and Eric had as much as told me he wouldn't act against his queen in this. Should I ask Niall for protection? I had his phone number, and he had after all told me that he would do anything he could to help me. I resolved to call him the next day, and find out what he thought about the situation.

Finally, after a long, difficult night I was able to crawl into bed next to where human-Eric still lay asleep. I kissed him again softly, careful not to wake him, and looked at his arm. It was perfect now, and I had to resist the urge to stroke it. I'd had a little taste tonight of how it would feel to lose him, and I'd discovered I'd give up a lot to keep him.

Of course, it would be different if he were simply returning to his own time. I'd know he was going to live on, even if his human life was over, and vamp-Eric would still be around. If he'd died tonight, he would have been gone for good, and vamp-Eric would never have existed. Would that make it easier when he left, then? I supposed it would, though becoming a vampire and living through a thousand years of whatever had made vamp-Eric the way he was might make simply dying seem preferable.

With that cheery thought, I took one last look at Eric, turned the light off, and rolled over to sleep.

When I woke up the next morning the gory rug was still lying on the bed next to me, but no Eric. I wasn't worried this time though, as I could hear the shower. I followed the sound to the bathroom and picked his discarded clothes off the floor, wondering if it was even worth trying to wash them. Eric interrupted my inner debate by pulling the shower curtain open and inviting me to join him, and I didn't take much persuading.

You could really tell he'd had vampire blood the night before.

Over breakfast, Eric was still raving about how good he felt. I'd told him before about the effects of vampire blood, but feeling it for himself was obviously quite a different experience.

For someone who'd never even experienced the marvels of modern medicine, seeing that his arm was as good as new must have come as a shock as well. I realised that must have accounted for a good part of his exuberance this morning. Preoccupied with the possibility of his dying, I hadn't thought about how seeing his arm nearly ripped off would have affected him. It would have been traumatic for anyone, but for someone who relies on his body to make a living, and to fight for his people, it would have been an especially debilitating injury. His feeling on realising that he would continue to have the use of all his limbs, in perfect working order, must have been one of overwhelming relief.

I realised that I hadn't yet had a chance to tell Eric what I'd learned about Crystal, and what I planned to do about her.

"So this Calvin will be able to call her off?" he asked when I'd explained.

"Yes, she'll leave Jason alone if he orders her to, it's a supe thing."

"But will he be willing?"

I bit my lip in thought – this was something I wasn't so sure of myself, "Sam seems to think he won't approve of Crystal's actions. I can only try. It's the best chance we've got to solve Jason's stalker problem."

I had no idea what sort of a man Calvin was, and it was entirely possible he simply wouldn't care what Crystal did to my brother, whatever Sam thought. I wasn't sure what my next plan would be, if this one didn't work.

"And you are just going to confront a community of were-panthers, with one man at your back? I think I should come, too." He crossed his arms with an air of finality.

"One man _who can turn into an animal_. Any animal he likes. He'll keep me safe." I didn't spell out the fact that Sam would be a lot more use to me than Eric – that would be unkind.

"What would Jason think of this?" He asked as though this proved his point.

I tried not to snort indelicately, "I'm quite sure he'll understand."

I knew Jason cared about me, but he was also happy for me to stick my neck out for him. I didn't think I'd have him over here trying to convince me not to endanger myself.

He didn't argue that point any further, unsurprisingly, but he did ask, "And the vampire?"

This was a better argument, since vamp-Eric didn't approve of me risking myself to help others – only to help him. But vamp-Eric didn't control me, and he wouldn't try to stop me, and I told human-Eric so.

"Anyway," I added, "You're blowing this way out of proportion. I'm just going to have a civilised conversation with the man. There's no need for any violence to be involved."

I wasn't all that confident actually – there often was violence involved where supes were concerned. This was all the more reason to keep my Viking out of it, however, since he was no better.

That conversation over with for the moment, I called Jason and filled him in. As predicted, he was simply happy that I was solving his problem for him, and made no effort to talk me out of it – although to give him credit, he did ask if I needed him to come along. Since trying to have a peaceful conversation with Calvin and Crystal with Jason there would be a disaster, I hastened to reassure him that Sam was adequate accompaniment.

My next phone call was to Niall. He didn't answer, so I left a message simply stating that I was concerned for my safety and wanted to discuss it with him.

With my most important tasks for the day out of the way, I could spend the rest of my time with Eric – though I did need to go shopping at some point. I was more eager than ever to enjoy my Viking's presence, and he seemed to feel just the same. Not only was he riding on the high of vampire blood and his near death experience, he also seemed inordinately concerned about my planned trip to Hotshot. I only hoped he wouldn't make any trouble for me when I left the next day.


	15. Chapter 15

This chapter took a little longer than the last one - not Darcy's fault though! She's doing great, sleeping a lot at night, drooling all over everything during the day. She's also figured out how to move herself a bit by rocking and wriggling. It's quite alarming to look down at her under her play gym and see she's not where I left her!

Thanks for all your thoughtful reviews, I really appreciate them.

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks, for getting this chapter done super quick.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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The next day I was getting ready for my trip to Hotshot when I got a call from Sam.

"Sam, I was just about to leave to meet you – are we still on for today?"

"I'm real sorry Sookie, but I'm gonna have to ask you to come in to work. Holly called to say she wouldn't be in for at least the rest of the week, and no one else can cover."

"Oh. Um, ok..."

"I know we were meant to go to Hotshot today, I haven't forgotten. You could finish the shift early, and we'll go out to see Calvin after?"

"Yeah, sure, that'd be great. I've just got to change and then I'll be there soon."

"Thanks Sookie."

I wasn't too put out as I changed into my work clothes. It was the least I could do for Sam after everything he'd done for me recently – and I enjoyed working at Merlotte's. I was really glad though that we'd still be able to go to Hotshot, since the longer I waited, the more I worried about Jason.

Eric wasn't too pleased of course. He still didn't want me to go to Hotshot without him, and he never liked being left home alone when I went to work. I really felt for him – I couldn't imagine what it would be like to be confined to my house day after day, never allowed to get out and see something new, or meet different people. That was one of the reasons why I worked, after all, to avoid that. It must be a stifling to live like that, especially for a man of action like Eric.

That being the case, I didn't hold his grumpiness against him, and I gave him an extra kiss goodbye when I left. I'd be back soon enough, and Jason's stalker problem would be solved, and then maybe I could work on taking Eric's mind off his confinement.

On my way to work, I began to worry about Holly's absence. I remembered her frightened reaction when Hallow had showed up at Merlotte's – and now she'd told Sam she wouldn't be at work for a while, without even giving any warning. I knew she needed the money, she had a little boy at home to look after. Was there a connection? I determined to look into it. I seemed to have a lot to look into, at the moment.

Work was so busy, and I was so preoccupied with thinking about the planned trip to Hotshot, that it wasn't until I was driving back home that I thought of Holly again. Sam was following me back in his pickup so I could get changed before he drove us both to see Calvin Norris. I figured we'd have plenty of time to talk about Holly during the drive.

The only problem with stopping at my house was the risk that Sam would find out about human-Eric. I'd warned my Viking, and told him he had to stay hidden – but he was still resentful of being left behind while we went to Hotshot, and I wouldn't put it past him to demand that he come with us, or at the very least to harass Sam about keeping me safe.

I was pleasantly surprised, then, when he didn't come running out of the house when I parked outside. My feeling quickly turned to one of dismay, however, when I didn't find him waiting for me inside. I was greeted by the same eerie silence that I'd experienced two nights ago. I groaned and held my head in my hands. I was going to have to stop going to work altogether if this kept happening.

I looked out the window to see Sam waiting in his truck, looking towards the house expectantly. When he saw me peering out at him, he looked confused and then raised his eyebrows questioningly. I gave him a strained smile before ducking away from the window. I panted nervously and fiddled with my ponytail, trying to stay calm. I thought about the positives of the situation – Eric certainly hadn't been taken by Andre this time, as there was still some daylight, and I had Sam here to help me if there was trouble. I wondered if I should ask him to help me find Eric – he might be able to smell if someone else had been in the house, or track down Eric if he was somewhere nearby. Of course, then I'd have to let him in on vamp-Eric's big secret, and I'd done my best to avoid that so far – not only out of loyalty to vamp-Eric, but also for Sam's own safety. Perhaps it would be best to send Sam away and look for my Viking myself?

As I was considering my options, and before I could start another panicked search of the house, I noticed the note pinned to the inside of the front door. My heart stopped for a moment, and I felt about a hundred times worse about the situation. It was confirmation that something was very wrong, Eric really was gone, and he hadn't just fallen asleep in the house somewhere. On the other hand, the note also meant that I had a chance of finding out what had happened to him. And surely if Hallow had taken him, she wouldn't be polite enough to leave a note explaining his absence?

Oh, but of course she would, I realised a moment later. She would want vamp-Eric to know that she had finally captured his human-self. She would leave a list of demands, or at least gloat a little. At this thought, I finally tore myself from where I'd been standing, frozen, for the last few seconds. I reached my front door in a few hasty steps and tore the paper from its place with trembling fingers.

I recognised Jason's writing immediately, and relaxed. For about a second.

'_Sookie,_

_Me and Eric have gone to Hotshot to sort out Crystal._

_Don't worry, we're armed and dangerous!_

_Not sure when we'll be back, but dinner would be nice,_

_Jason'_

I flew out the door and raced to Sam's truck without pausing to lock up. He jumped out when he saw me coming and opened the other door for me, helping me in before he got back in himself and started the engine.

"Where am I driving us, and why?" Sam fired at me as we got to the road.

I realised I hadn't told him anything, and he'd simply been reacting to my urgency, realising that something was wrong.

"Hotshot still." My voice was subdued as I tried to maintain a semblance of calm.

"Oh. Oh shit. Jason's gone there himself?"

He gripped the steering wheel hard, and glanced at me for confirmation. I nodded glumly and he smacked the wheel in frustration. Then his expression relaxed and he took a deep breath before reaching over to place a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry Sookie, it'll be ok, Jason'll be ok."

I felt grateful for his presence, and decided it was time to come clean. He was going to find out about human-Eric when we got to Hotshot anyway.

"Wow," he said when I'd finished explaining the situation, "I figured you were hiding something, but I never would have guessed this was it. Wow." He stared straight ahead in contemplation for a while longer, and then frowned and looked at me, "and you just decided to offer this guy a place to stay? You told Eric – the vampire – that you'd look after his human self for him? Sookie, why do you always have to get yourself involved in trouble like this?"

"_I_ didn't get myself involved in this, my-... ah, Hallow got me involved, when she had human-Eric appear practically on my doorstep. I wasn't going to just leave him Sam. He's a danger to himself and others."

Sam snorted at that, and I startled myself by laughing too.

"Well it's true. And he didn't ask for any of this either. He's human, and before he got here he had no knowledge or experience of the supernatural world. Being locked in Eric's basement by himself for a month would traumatise him."

"Living with Eric would traumatise anyone..." he mumbled. At least he didn't seem to want to lecture me anymore.

"Well, you know, I kind of am living with Eric – the human version – and actually it's pretty great."

I could see him bite back what would have been his first response. "I'm glad you're happy," he said instead, and he sounded sincere.

"Right at this moment I'm not so much. I can't believe those two, I really can't." Actually, I could believe that they'd pull a stunt like this, and I was pretty sure I knew who to blame. I couldn't imagine my laid back brother taking it into his head to visit Calvin himself. Nope, this had Eric written all over it.

"Do you have any idea when they left?"

"It can't have been very long ago," I began thoughtfully, "Jason wouldn't have finished work long before I did, and Eric must have spent at least some time trying to talk him into this."

"Right, that's good," I could really hear the relief in his voice, "we should be able to get there before anything goes wrong then."

My lip wobbled at the thought of things 'going wrong', and Sam gave me a tight smile, before he sped up. We were both feeling the urgency now.

The journey couldn't pass fast enough for me, but eventually we arrived at a small settlement deep in the countryside. We recognised Jason's truck and parked behind it, before jumping out to look around. We didn't have to go far. A group of people were standing around at the front of one of the houses, and I broke into a run. Sam caught up with me as I reached the group, and grabbed me around the waist before I could barge my way to the centre of the commotion.

I understood his caution and forced myself to stay still and observe. There were only a handful of people, just enough to obscure whatever it was that had their attention. We'd been noticed as soon as we arrived, but aside from a few grim glances in our direction, no one seemed interested in engaging us.

I couldn't stay still any longer, not knowing what was happening, and I began edging around the group, trying to peer through and see what everyone was looking at. I finally got a clear view and gasped. My brother was sitting propped up against the house, his head slumped forward, but clearly conscious. His clothes were ripped in places, and there was blood. He didn't have his gun. Eric stood in front of him, his expression closed-off and totally focused. He held his sword across his body, and shifted from foot to foot as he confronted a panther, which was snarling and trying to circle around him. Its face and claws were bloody. Was this Crystal? Were these people just going to stand and watch while she killed my brother and my boyfriend?

My immediate impulse was to go to Jason, but my gasp had attracted the attention of a man standing nearby. He was a small man, forty-ish, with a trimmed beard and close-cropped hair. He moved to block my path, and looked like he was going to say something to me. Then his gaze moved past me to see Sam, and his mouth became a hard line.

"Calvin." Sam spoke at my shoulder. So this was the leader we'd come to see.

"Sam. Why are you here? You're not planning on interfering I hope?" There was a growl in his voice, and his unusual gold-green eyes became even more inhuman.

Sam's voice was very serious as he replied, "I'd appreciate it if you'd listen to what Sookie here has to say," he nodded his head towards Eric and Jason, "that's her brother and her... man."

Calvin looked unhappy. As I waited for his response I was so tense my body was trembling. I kept glancing towards Eric and Jason, wanting to run to them, but knowing I couldn't.

"Why don't the three of us go somewhere else?" As he stood back a little and gestured for us to walk in front of him, his expression became sympathetic, and my heart clenched.

"No!" I said quietly but urgently, the word tumbling out of its own accord, "Please..."

"There must be some way-," Sam began at the same time.

Calvin cut us both off, low-voiced and angry, "Her brother's been hounding Crystal for a while now. Crystal's man Felton's taken issue with that, as is his right. They brought a gun here. That big one threatened us with a sword. We've got kids around."

I drew my breath in sharply, "That's not true! I mean, Jason hasn't been hounding Crystal at all – it's the other way around."

His eyes narrowed, and he looked at me piercingly for a long moment. "Is that so... Maybe you're right, Sam, maybe we do need to talk."

He gestured for us to walk ahead of him once more, but I looked back towards my brother and my Viking pleadingly. Calvin sighed and called out sharply, "Felton, let them be."

There was a snarl from the panther, and Calvin looked furious as he turned to face the big cat fully, "I said let them be! They'll keep."

Then he walked away abruptly, leaving us to follow him and not waiting to see if Felton would obey his instructions. I was not so confident, and stayed where I was until I saw the panther turn away with a low growl to slink off through the crowd. Eric's eyes met mine at last, and I gestured for him to stay where he was. It didn't look as though he'd be allowed to go anywhere, anyway. I jogged to catch up to Sam and Calvin, newly respectful of Calvin's authority.

We walked towards what I supposed was Calvin's house. He invited us to sit at his table, then joined us. "Say your piece," he instructed me.

I took a deep breath, relieved that I was at least getting the chance to plead my brother's case. Sam's solid presence beside me helped me to stay calm and organise my thoughts, "I know they shouldn't have brought weapons here, or threatened anyone. That was wrong of them. But it's not what it looks like – they only came here to get your help in dealing with Crystal." Actually, I suspected that Eric had come here looking for a fight, but I wasn't going to admit to it, "She's been stalking my brother ever since he turned her down."

"Stalking?" Calvin gestured for me to elaborate, his face not giving anything away.

"She's been hanging around his house trying to frighten him. She broke in and tore everything up, she even left a dead deer on his doorstep. She showed herself to him in her panther form." I hoped this last bit would swing things in our favour, as Sam had indicated previously that it would make Calvin angry.

His eyes widened as he showed a reaction at last – surprise, "_Crystal_ did all this?"

"Yes – or at least, I thought it was Crystal." Now I wondered if maybe it was the panther I'd just seen, Felton.

Apparently, Calvin was thinking the same thing, "I don't think it's Crystal you need to worry about," but before I could ask him about Felton, he continued, "and you're sure your brother's not lying to you about this?"

"I'm sure." I looked him straight in the eye.

He looked thoughtful, "You're Sookie Stackhouse, you work at his bar," he jerked his head in Sam's direction.

"Yes..." I wondered how he knew this.

"I've heard about you. Heard you're different. I'm inclined to take your word."

I wasn't sure what exactly he'd heard about me, or how, but I was grateful that whatever he'd heard seemed to convince him of my truthfulness. I relaxed for the first time since I'd found Eric missing that afternoon.

"So you'll let them go?"

"Will you go to the police?"

I'd seen that Jason was injured – I wasn't sure how badly. But I didn't like to think what the consequences of answering yes to this question might be.

"I'm not happy about what's been done to my brother," I began carefully, "But he did come here with a gun. You were only protecting your community. I take it he'll be left in peace now?"

"Done," Calvin answered with a nod, "though your brother may be one of us now."

It took me a moment to get his meaning, and then I felt sick, "You mean... He's been bitten? He might change?"

"No way to tell," He answered soberly, "but Felton got a bite in before your man fought him off. It's possible."

I felt my fury rising, and I reconsidered my agreement not to go to the police. Sam's sudden hand on my shoulder, squeezing, reminded me what a bad idea that would be.

"You'll help him, if he needs it?"

"I will. I'll come get him, next full moon."

"Alright. Thank you."

At least I would have my brother back, and my Viking. That was more than I thought I'd have, when I found that note and knew they'd come here without me. It was certainly something to be thankful for. And I was glad my brother would have the help he needed, if he was a were-panther now. I wasn't sure how likely that was, but we'd find out soon enough. Right now, I just felt really tired about the whole thing, and I wanted to get home.

As we all stood to head back outside, the front door flew open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. I jumped, and Sam and Calvin tensed. A man stood in the doorway, bulky with thick pale hair and dark eyes. He was literally shaking with tension, or pent-up anger, or maybe both. I was pretty sure this must be Felton, a guess which was confirmed when the girl I remembered as Crystal appeared behind him, looking scared and guilty. Not guilty enough, in my opinion. Whatever game she'd been playing had endangered people I cared about.

Calvin relaxed, and said mildly, "You'll be wanting to have a talk with my niece, Felton."

Felton paid no attention to what was said, and growled angrily, "What's the meaning of this? You agreed to give me justice, agreed it was my right to kill the men," I flinched at this blunt statement of his intentions, and he turned his anger on me, "You've come here to bargain for your brother's life?" He ran his eyes over me, and leered, "I suppose you've got the body for it, but I ain't interested, sweetheart."

My indignation choked me, and I felt my features stretching into a wide, tight smile. Sam's face was thunderous, but before he could say anything, Calvin marched up to Felton and hit him hard in the mouth.

"You keep your spiteful thoughts to yourself, you hear me?"

Felton wiped his mouth and hung his head, but his eyes blazed, "But the man-"

"Like I said, you want to talk to my niece about that. Seems to me she's made a fool out of you."

Anger was replaced with confusion, and then comprehension. Felton turned to Crystal and gripped her upper arm, hard, his eyes boring into hers, "What's this?"

Everyone was looking at Crystal now. It seemed like she was going to get angry, and try to bluster her way out of this, but then she began to cry, "Baby, you know I love you right?"

"I'm gonna lose my patience with you woman! Now, what's this about?" Felton shook her lightly.

"He insulted me! He had no right!"

"Insulted you how?" his voice was low and dangerous now – and I didn't think he was angry at my brother this time.

"Honey, I was upset! You weren't paying me attention like you used to, and then he didn't want me either. I just wanted you to show how much you cared about me is all. I didn't mean to let it get this far!"

Felton looked astonished, "I been working double shifts to help pay for my cousin's hospital bills, you know that!"

Despite all the harm he'd done my brother, I found myself feeling sorry for him. He relaxed as he released Crystal and stepped away from her, but his expression was hurt and angry. He left without looking at any of us.

Crystal glared at me, and it seemed like she wanted to say something, but one look at Calvin's face stopped her. She started to leave, but she only got a few steps before Calvin called her back.

"Crystal! You come back here, and you apologise to this woman for the trouble you've caused."

I didn't think an apology really covered it, and I didn't want to hear anything from her, but this was Calvin's house, so I stood silently and waited.

With another furtive glance at her uncle, Crystal mumbled out an apology, "I'm real sorry about your brother. I didn't mean for him to be hurt. Really I didn't."

Maybe so, but I figured she hadn't much cared if something bad did happen to him. She left without waiting to see if I accepted her apology, which was probably for the best really.

Sam and I exchanged glances, shocked by Crystal's vindictiveness, and the relationship drama we'd stumbled into. Calvin looked resigned, like he'd been through this before. I guessed he probably had.

"I can't offer you any more, asides my assurance your brother'll be left alone now, and the offer of my help should he need it. Neither of them's done anything unforgivable," he asserted, referring to Crystal and Felton, challenging me to disagree. I suppose I could have insisted they be punished somehow, but I honestly didn't care. I just wanted to get my brother and Eric and leave.

"Alright, thank you," I said again.

"Let's go see to Jason then," said Sam, gesturing for me to precede him out the door.

Now that the danger was passed, and I was free to focus my attention on Jason again, my anxiety swept back up to engulf me, and I left Calvin's house at a run. The group of on-lookers had dispersed, and there were only a couple of children sitting on some steps across the road, watching Eric and Jason with interest. Eric was still standing in front of Jason, and while he'd relaxed from his fighting stance, he looked jumpy. When he saw me coming, an expression of relief flitted across his face, but it was gone by the time I reached them, replaced by a relaxed smile.

"Sookie-," he began and reached out an arm to circle my waist.

I brushed straight past him, and knelt by Jason, assessing the damage. He had several large scratches on his arms and legs, but he'd managed to protect his torso. The worst wound was a savage bite on his forearm, with blood seeping from the tooth marks. He was clearly in pain, but he smiled at me.

"Boy am I glad to see you, Sookie."

I gave him a wobbly smile in return, and had tears pricking at the corners of my eyes as I reached for his hand. Maybe later I would lay into him for being such an idiot, but right now I just wanted to make sure he was ok.

"How are you feeling? Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I'm not that bad."

Eric was still tensely standing guard over us, so Sam walked up and offered Jason a hand to pull him up by his less injured arm.

"Thanks man." he stood with Sam's help, and our little group headed towards our vehicles, Jason walking gingerly but without too much trouble. "It's lucky these guys seem to know you," he continued, and then he thought about what he'd said and looked a bit shifty, "so uh... Just how did you come to be introducing Sookie to these people?"

Obviously when I'd first told him about it, he hadn't thought through the implications of Sam being the one to accompany me to Hotshot. Now he'd realised something, and he was mighty unhappy with that realisation.

"We run in the same circles," Sam answered with a slight smile, and Jason looked away from him quickly, and said no more till we got to where we'd parked.

"Wait, who's gonna drive my pickup back?" my brother asked, eying his bitten arm dubiously, "I'm not sure my arm's up to it."

"I'll drive the three of us home in it, and you can stay with us for tonight at least ok?" Then I turned to Sam, "you can head straight back to your place, I think we'll be alright from here." I leaned over to give him a hug, "Thanks so much for coming here with me. I don't know what any of us would have done without you."

He rubbed my back before pulling away, "It was no problem Sookie, I'm glad I could help. I'll see you at work." He could say it was no problem, but I was sure that he'd run a risk showing up like this to help out my brother and Eric. Calvin certainly hadn't seemed happy to see him in that moment. I was lucky to have a friend like Sam.

Before he got in his truck, he looked straight at Eric for the first time. It was hard to read Sam's expression, but I didn't think it was friendly. I couldn't really complain though, since I wasn't going to be directing any friendly grins at my Viking any time soon either.

Eric, Jason and I all piled into Jason's truck and started the ride home. Eric started talking almost immediately.

"My lover, I'm sorry if you were worried about us. It did turn out to be more dangerous than I had anticipated, but as you saw, I had no intention of letting anyone harm either of us..."

"Eric. Shut up." I said, and he did.

That was another advantage of dating the human version of Eric – I could try telling vamp-Eric to shut up, but I didn't think it would go down well. I was _so_ angry at Eric, and I had a lot of things I wanted to say to him – but not right now when I'd just got him back, and not in front of Jason.

Just as we were arriving back at my house, Jason suddenly slapped his hand against the inside of his truck, and then yelped when it jarred his arm. I glanced at him questioningly, and he looked sheepish, "I damn well left my gun there. Can we go back?"

I just stared at him, until he gave up and looked away with a huff, mumbling "It was one of my favourites... real expensive too."

First thing when we got back, Jason and Eric took turns having showers, and then I went all over Jason with Neosporin, paying special attention to his bite wound. I didn't think it would do any good, but I had to make the effort. I tried not to think about what his wounds signified – the possibility that his life would be forever changed, and not in a way he would ever have wanted. It wasn't something I could do anything about right now, and so I concentrated on my relief that the damage wasn't worse, and I mothered him to make us both feel better.

Eric of course didn't have a scratch on him. In a brief, uncharitable moment, I considered that it was a bit of a shame – vamp-Eric might find it harder to maintain his scorn for the two-natured, if he had once been one. Not that his former humanity had stopped him from viewing humans with contempt. I quickly quashed the thought though, appalled at myself for wishing yet another traumatic experience on someone who already had so much to suffer through. It was just hard to look at my brother right then without feeling furious at everyone who had contributed to his current condition.

Eric was having his shower (he still had ridiculously long showers), and I'd just finished applying the Neosporin, when I asked my brother, "Honestly Jason, what the hell were you thinking?"

He looked abashed, and then covered it with indignation, "I was helping you out! You have enough to deal with right now, and I didn't think you needed to be out solving my problems for me on top of everything else."

I snorted. That sounded so unlike Jason, I could only imagine that he was quoting Eric. Even Jason was smart enough to realise he'd been caught out, and he huffed.

"Aw, geez, well it sounded good at the time."

"I really doubt that."

"Hey, Eric didn't even want to leave a note. Said it would just worry you, that it would be a nice surprise if we sorted Crystal out without telling you," Now it was his turn to snort, "Even I know better than that. Told him he'd be on the couch for a year."

I paled at the thought. If I hadn't known to go straight to Hotshot, they'd both have just disappeared without a trace – and vamp-Eric with them. Even if I'd eventually guessed that they may have gone there, I would have been too late to find anything other than blood stains and blank, unhelpful expressions. Thank god for Jason's rare moment of good judgment.

I leaned over and hugged him, and after a moment he awkwardly put his arms around me in return and patted my back.

I made us all sandwiches for dinner – I wasn't up to making anything more than that, and I wasn't hungry anyway. I settled Jason in my old bedroom across the hall – I wasn't concerned about him hearing anything this time, since I wasn't planning on making any noise. Not the good kind of noise, anyway.

As soon as we entered my bedroom, Eric tried to wrap his arms around my waist. "Sookie," he began, and I could tell by his voice that he knew I was upset with him. Well I should hope so, after the stupid stunt he'd pulled!

I slapped his hands away, and cut off whatever he was going to say with a frosty expression. He stepped back a little and watched me apprehensively.

Now that I was finally going to allow myself to express my anger at him, it rose up inside me like a tidal wave. I had to physically swallow it back before I tried to do him actual bodily harm. Making an enormous effort to speak quietly and calmly, I began, "Don't tell me you thought I'd approve of your visit to Hotshot. Jason can get away with that, but not you. You knew exactly what you were doing."

He took a moment before replying, speaking just as carefully as I had, "I will admit I didn't think you would be pleased initially, but it was for the best, and I knew that you would see that once you had a chance to think about it."

"What was for the best? Trying to get yourself killed, and worse, Jason?"

He looked alarmed, "Sookie, no, I just thought-,"

"You just thought that it was boring living here with me, so you would create some excitement for yourself by using my poor stupid brother."

He had the grace to look guilty, rather than trying to deny it. At that moment, rather than being impressed by his honesty, I was just angry at having my suspicions confirmed.

"How could you risk Jason's life like that? Even if you don't care about him, you know how little family I have left. You know how it would hurt me if anything happened to him."

"And that is why I protected him!" He spoke heatedly, as though I were being unfair. While he'd started to pick up the habit of contractions from me, and from the TV, he often dropped them when he was angry – much like his vampire self.

"But you didn't, did you? His life may be changed forever, he may be dragged into the supernatural world now, whether he wants it or not. I don't know how he's going to cope with that - _if_ he's going to cope with that." I hadn't even considered how to raise the subject with Jason yet, knowing how he felt about anything, or anyone different.

Instead of making any more excuses for his behaviour, Eric grew sullen and close-mouthed. Tired of waiting for him to say something else, I raised another point which bothered me.

"Do you know how your vampire self would react if he knew about this? That while I was meant to be keeping you safe, you were out antagonising were-panthers? I vouched for you, I told him he didn't need to keep you locked in a cellar somewhere. He would hold me responsible."

That got a reaction, and he answered immediately, "I didn't intend for anything bad to happen. I didn't intend for him to find out."

"But," I persisted, "You knew what it would mean for me if he _did_ find out?"

He looked away quickly, and that was all the answer I needed. He had thought about the potential fall-out, if his plans went awry. Of course he had, there wasn't anything wrong with his intelligence – just his regard for others.

It was getting late, and I was tired. I sat heavily on the side of my bed and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. I didn't really know what else to say to Eric. I rarely knew what to say to the vampire version, either. Eric knew that I would be hurt by his actions, knew how they could affect other people, but went ahead and did what he wanted to anyway. It was what he always did. I could either call it quits, or I could keep trying to make it work for however long we had left.

And I wasn't quite ready to give up on him.

I looked back at him at last. "We're not going to mention this to your vampire self. He won't think you're safe here anymore. He'll think I can't be trusted to look after you. He'll be worried about someone at Hotshot recognising you and telling the witches."

"I thought you said other supernaturals were on our side?" he asked, frowning.

"Most of them. I'm sure someone at Hotshot would want the money though."

Now he sat down next to me, just as heavily. "I'm sorry."

I couldn't help but smile. At least this Eric was slightly less averse to apologising when he knew he'd stuffed up.

"I can leave. You don't need to be in danger."

"They'd come here first, anyway. And where would you go? Do you think you'd enjoy staying with vampires? Vampires who, by the way, are _already_ being targeted by Hallow. It wouldn't be 'if' she came calling, but 'when'."

"I'll go anyway, if you ask me to."

I rested my head against him, and took his hand. "No Eric, I don't want you to go."

"I love you", he said suddenly, looking forlorn.

"I love you too," I responded easily, and he brightened a bit.

I guessed our first real fight was over. I hoped that we'd get the chance to have others.


	16. Chapter 16

Before I write anything else, I have to tell you all that Darcy slept through the night last night, hurrah! Clever baby.

This chapter was (mostly) really fun to write - I hope it's fun to read too. Thanks for all your great comments, I really do appreciate them!

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I somehow woke up a lot later than usual the next morning, and it was immediately apparent that the rest of the house was up well before me. Since they'd managed without me so far, I figured I could have a shower and get dressed for the day before I made them breakfast.

I really needed some time to myself to think before I saw either of them, anyway. While I'd forgiven Eric and ended our fight the night before, I still felt like there might be some bad feeling on both sides, and I wasn't sure how I should act towards him this morning. And as for Jason... well I wasn't sure how much he'd heard the night before, and I was embarrassed that he probably heard us fighting, and more than a little worried that he might have heard me call him stupid. I wouldn't blame him for being a bit cross with me for that.

When I walked into the living room to say good morning, I was surprised to see Jason sitting with a couple of dirty plates in front of him on the coffee table.

"If it isn't my lazy sister," he said with a grin, "it's just as well your man is a real wiz in the kitchen, or I'd have starved to death by now."

Eric, a wiz in the kitchen? This was news to me. I had taught him some basic skills, but I'd never seen him do more than fry himself some eggs.

"Good morning to you too," I said, "I'm sorry I slept in so late, I certainly hadn't intended to. What have you two been eating, then?"

"Eric made a proper fried breakfast. Well, eggs and bacon, anyway."

Aha, that explained it; he hadn't really done anything all that amazing then. I didn't really want to see what state the kitchen was in after Eric's cooking efforts, so I decided to delay that moment by chatting with Jason some more. I joined him on the sofa.

"How are you feeling this morning?"

He grimaced and gestured at his bitten arm, "My arm aches pretty bad. I doubt I'll be able to get back to work this week, which sucks. And all those scratches that bastard gave me are annoying. It was pretty hard to get comfortable when I went to bed last night."

I realised that Jason was going to have to adjust his attitude towards 'that bastard', though I understood his feeling that way. "Look Jason, I'm not exactly Felton's biggest fan either, and you've got every right to be angry-,"

"Not his biggest... He tried to kill me, woman! Too right I'm angry!" He was shaking his head in disbelief.

"But," I continued, holding up my hand for him to let me speak, "if you're going to be able to be around Felton and Crystal without getting into trouble, you're going to have to find a way to make peace with all this."

I realised this was a big ask. I still felt pretty furious at both of them, and they hadn't put a mark on me. But the residents of Hotshot would not put up with Jason starting fights, and he needed to be able to tolerate Felton and Crystal, or his new life as a were-panther would be hell for him.

"Sookie, I don't plan on going anywhere near either of them, or anyone in that crazy community, as long as I live. So I'll say whatever I want to about 'em."

I took a deep breath to explain to him why he might actually have to visit Hotshot quite frequently, but Eric walked in at that moment. He looked hesitant, I guessed for the same reason I was nervous about seeing him this morning.

"I made breakfast," he said, and I realised it was a peace offering.

I smiled at him to let him know I wasn't going to hold a grudge, "Thanks Eric, that's real thoughtful. Is mine in the oven?" I asked, getting up.

Realising that everything was still well between us, he didn't look nervous any more. In fact, he looked so pleased with himself he was practically shining.

"Actually, I'm still finishing yours. I made you something _special_."

My smile become fixed, and stretched more widely across my face. "Well isn't that just something then."

He still looked expectant, so I added, "I am so excited to see what you've made me." He looked satisfied with that, and left to go back to the kitchen, promising to return soon with my 'special' breakfast. Jason was smiling as though he was in on it too.

Sure enough, it was only a few minutes later when he presented me with what was clearly supposed to be an omelette. There were a lot of runny bits, and a lot of burned bits. There were rather large chunks of raw tomato, and a big splodge of melted cheese on top. I took the plate from him and stared at it for a moment too long.

"It's an omelette," he prompted, obviously waiting for me to dig in, "In the story about the sparkling vampires, the girl is very impressed when her man makes a perfect omelette for her."

Well she might have been impressed with a perfect omelette, but she probably wouldn't think much of Eric's attempt.

"Wait a minute. Since when do you know anything about Twilight?" He couldn't read, after all.

"Jason was telling me about it," He answered, frowning. Obviously I wasn't meant to be asking questions, but rather enjoying my special breakfast.

I glanced at Jason sceptically. He looked embarrassed.

"A girl I was seeing wouldn't shut up about how great 'Edward' is. She wanted me to be more like him." We both laughed at that.

The runny bits of the omelette had now seeped out and spread across the plate and the lump of cheese was congealing. Eric was still looking expectant, and a bit grumpy. He'd put some effort into making me what he'd thought would be a real treat, and I was just watching it get cold. So I balanced the plate on my knees and picked up the knife and fork he'd placed near me.

"Thanks so much, Honey," I said, and then I ate the whole thing. I even used my finger to scoop up some of the runny egg left on the plate at the end, and said "mmm". I'd done worse things for love. And there weren't many men in our little town who'd have tried to make me an omelette. I felt lucky. And a bit sick.

Maybe my Viking couldn't make a perfect omelette, but at least he didn't _sparkle._

I was cleaning up after breakfast – there was _a lot_ to clean up – when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Great-granddaughter."

I wasn't surprised exactly, since I had asked him to call me, but I felt a bit flustered. I still wasn't used to having a great-grandfather, especially not a fairy great-grandfather.

"Niall." I said, and then a beat later, "I'm so glad you called." Having shaken off my initial reaction, I was so pleased to hear from one of my few living relatives – and one that had made it clear he loved me.

"And I'm pleased to speak with you. But what is this about your being in danger? Surely Breandan has not..."

"No! No." I jumped in. I briefly wondered, if he was really so confident that Breandan wouldn't attack me, why this was his first thought when he heard I was in danger. I would have to think on that later.

"The witches?"

"No, it's nothing to do with that. Do you know of the vampire queen of Louisiana?"

"Sophie-Anne."

"Yes. I believe she has some kind of interest in me..." I explained the incident with Andre, and what Eric had said to me about it. Niall was very quiet when I'd finished.

"Great-grandfather?"

"I'm sorry," He said at last, "I was thinking. I had planned already to send someone to protect you. Now I realise that I should have arranged it sooner."

"You're sending someone to protect me?" I tried not to sound doubtful, but last time he'd talked about my having a protector, he'd suggested Eric would do a fine job. What I'd really have liked was some useful information, or advice.

"Yes. You will meet her very soon."

"Well I'll look forward to it. Thanks Niall, I feel safer already." I didn't want to seem ungrateful, and besides, who ever she was, this protector might give me the information I so badly needed that no one else seemed ready to tell me. I could hope, anyway.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, we got off the phone – my great-grandfather promising to visit me in person soon. I felt a bit of a pang when I hung up, wishing I could have prolonged the contact, but I consoled myself thinking of his visit. Maybe we could have a proper dinner together? Did fairies do that sort of thing?

I had to work that day, since Sam was still arranging cover for Holly. Jason had managed to get the next couple of days off to recover, but I made it clear that I'd be dropping him home on my way to work. I figured that since neither he nor Eric could drive at the moment, if they were in separate locations I could go to work without worrying about either of them.

When I got to work I thanked Sam again for his help the evening before, and he replied again that he was just happy to be able to help me. I didn't want to spoil the mood, but I really felt I needed to raise the issue of human-Eric with him.

"Now, about that thing you found out last night..." I didn't want to name any names.

"What thing?" he asked, his expression deliberately blank.

I was glad I'd picked up on his wary thoughts, or I might have believed he really didn't know what I was talking about, he was that convincing. I actually felt disappointed at his denial, since I was looking forward to having someone to confide in about the whole crazy situation. But I knew that this was for the best, and I wanted to reassure Sam that I'd respect his desire to stay out of it.

"I'm not going to tell _anyone_ about what happened, ok?"

"I appreciate that, Sookie, though if I were you I wouldn't trust all the folks in Hotshot to do the same. Now about that beer order we've got arriving this morning..."

Just like that, it was business as usual, and we didn't talk about our trip to Hotshot again that day.

Of course, something else served to remind me of the events of the previous night. I was nearing the end of my shift when Andy and Portia Bellefleur came in for dinner. Before I could say anything, I caught a thought from Andy which made my welcoming smile freeze on my face. He spoke before I could re-gather myself.

"That was pretty nasty, what happened to your brother. Fancy him being attacked by a panther like that. Don't see that happening often."

I could hear from his thoughts that Jason had made up a story to explain his injuries when he'd run into Andy earlier. Andy didn't believe him though, or not entirely. He thought Jason was hiding something, and he hoped to catch me out by getting a different story from me. Of course, I now knew exactly what Jason had told Andy – although for some reason I was finding Andy's thoughts a little slippery today.

My remembered anxiety of the night before made it easy for me to sound concerned, "Sure, I could hardly believe it myself when he told me. I'm always telling him he should take more care when he's out hunting. Thank goodness it ran off when he hit it with a branch."

Andy flashed me a sharky smile and then controlled his features again, "Funny, Jason said he hit it with his gun."

I was shocked as I realised what he'd done. People couldn't usually hold particular thoughts in their heads for very long. I was impressed by Andy's ingenuity, and his ability to maintain a lie in his mind to trick me as he'd done. I also liked him even less. Why couldn't he be using his skills doing something more worthwhile than hounding my brother and me?

I came back with an explanation as quickly as could, "I guess the stress of the attack must have messed with his memory."

It wasn't a very good explanation, and Andy knew I was covering. He was one of the few people willing to admit to himself that I really _could _hear his thoughts, and he knew he'd caught me out. Fortunately, he was so thrilled with his victory that he didn't push his advantage. Portia, completely oblivious to our exchange, stepped in.

"You must be pleased to have Bill back from South America though?"

"Bill's affairs are none of my concern," I answered, more sharply than her innocent question warranted. I didn't like having to reveal my personal life to these people, and I didn't like being reminded of Bill either. I turned on my heel and left while their minds were still buzzing with this new gossip.

I was still determined to find out more about Holly's absence, and I remembered to raise it with Sam before I left that evening. When I asked him for more information, he looked confused.

"She just said she had to get out of town for a week, she had some urgent family matters to attend to, and she was leaving her boy with Danielle. Why?"

"I'm not sure if it's related, but when Hallow came in that day, Holly was real nervous."

"Shit. You think Holly could be involved with those witches?" Sam looked very concerned. He cared about his employees, and he wouldn't like to think of Holly being caught up in the witch-vampire war.

"I'm not sure, but I'm worried about it. If she's working with Hallow, she might know something that could put us in danger. And if she's not working with Hallow, what if she's in trouble?"

I wasn't planning on marching up to Hallow and demanding the return of my fellow waitress – I'm not that selfless, or that stupid. But she was a nice enough woman, and she had a young child. I certainly didn't like to think of anything bad happening to her. If I could help her without doing anything crazy, I would.

"I just don't know Sookie. She didn't sound very happy – I assumed there'd been some kind of family tragedy. But it's certainly possible Hallow has something to do with Holly not coming in to work."

"Have you seen Danielle? Do you think she would know?"

"She hasn't been rostered to work in the last couple days. I'm not sure."

"I think I'd better talk to Danielle, see what she knows. Maybe she won't talk, or maybe we can't do anything to help, but we need to try something."

With that decided, I headed home, looking forward to seeing my Viking again, but hoping he hadn't made me a special dinner.

What I found waiting for me was infinitely more unsettling than a badly cooked omelette. When I saw the dark figure sitting on my porch steps, I immediately knew it wasn't Eric waiting for me – it was someone smaller. I was frightened, until I got close enough to identify Bill. Then I felt anguished, furious, and insecure. I had wondered if he would want to see me, and if I wanted to see him. Now that he was here, all I wanted was to go straight into my house without acknowledging him. I thought about trying just that, but if a vampire wants to talk to you, they'll manage it sooner or later.

I parked my car and got out as slowly as I could manage, trying to put off seeing Bill again. He waited for me to get to him in my own time, which I might have appreciated if I hadn't been so angry with him.

I stopped a good distance from him, and tried not to look at him too closely. "What do you want?"

He stood up and moved closer to me, "Sookie."

The sound of his voice almost caused me physical pain, and I felt tears in my eyes, though I refused to let them fall. I had loved him, I couldn't help this affect he had on me, but I hated it.

Before either of us could say anything more, my front door opened, and Eric stuck his head out.

"Sookie, what-?" He was obviously wondering why I was hanging around outside after I'd arrived home, but when he saw Bill he stopped talking in confusion and concern, then asked abruptly, "Who is this?"

I hoped that Bill, seeing that we weren't alone, would just leave. I certainly didn't want to introduce my very ex-boyfriend to my present one, or witness their interaction. And seeing Bill right then, I'd finally resolved my indecision – I definitely _didn't_ want to see him, or hear what he had to say.

The roar of an engine announced the arrival of a red corvette, and we all realised our little gathering in front of my house was about to get more crowded. Vamp-Eric was again turning up unannounced, and he had Pam with him. Bill and human-Eric wore similar expressions of displeasure, and I actually laughed out loud, startling us all. The weirdness of the situation was getting to me.

Vamp-Eric and Pam both seemed tense when they stepped out of the car. I thought it might be Bill's presence that bothered them, but they barely acknowledged him.

Vamp-Eric gave Bill a nod, and greeted him with "Bill", before striding right past him to stand on my porch. He didn't even look at me.

Pam didn't hang around at all, just zipped off straight away into the trees near my house, just as she'd done the last time she'd visited. I hoped they didn't have reason to believe Andre had been here again.

Human-Eric meanwhile had evidently realised that the new vampire was 'the Bill', and seemed suddenly less unhappy to be in the company of his vampire self. I guessed he had an even lower opinion of Bill, and my ex-boyfriend's presence made vamp-Eric seem slightly less repulsive. The four of us stood around uneasily, the two Eric's on the porch, Bill slightly in front of it and me a few steps from my car. No one said anything, and the vampires seemed uninterested in conversation anyway, instead looking around with intense concentration.

I could tell the moment Pam found, or perhaps didn't find, what she was looking for. Vamp-Eric relaxed perceptibly, and his voice was less grim as he spoke to me for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Good evening Sookie, I do hope we haven't interrupted anything."

"No. Bill was just leaving."

Bill stepped closer to me and protested, "Sookie, please, let me speak with you."

"I don't want to hear it, and I never want to see you again, ever in my life. Just go."

Bill didn't move though, and he wasn't looking at me any longer. I followed his gaze and noticed that both the Erics were staring at him, and they wore identical expressions – no overt hostility, but instead intense unblinking scrutiny. I found it disconcerting, and it wasn't even aimed at me.

Bill cleared his throat unnecessarily, and looked as though he were about to speak. The Erics narrowed their eyes almost in sync. Bill gave my Viking a particularly menacing glare – evidently he didn't appreciate being challenged by an uppity human. I felt an almost feral need to defend what was mine, and my fingers itched to hold a handy stake. Before I could take any kind of action though, vamp-Eric growled deeply, and Bill flinched and looked away.

"Can you be trusted Bill, staying next door?" asked vamp-Eric in a silky smooth voice.

I didn't think Bill would enjoy staying wherever Eric was thinking of putting him instead, and it seemed Bill agreed with me.

"Of course," he replied, all traces of anger gone from his voice, "If you'll excuse me?"

"Of course," Eric mimicked him.

Now Bill turned to me again, "I will return at a more convenient time," and then he left before I could tell him not to bother.

As I was making my way up to the porch to join my Viking and find out what his vampire self wanted, Pam arrived back from her mysterious errand in the woods. I smiled at her, and she smiled back – I liked Pam.

Then I addressed her maker again, "Why are you here?" I realised that sounded rude, and added, "Not that I'm not pleased to see you." Vamp-Eric never visited for a simple social call, so his presence here meant trouble – most likely for me.

He chuckled, and then turned more serious as he answered, "There was an attack yesterday. I wanted to ensure that Hallow's increased activity didn't mean that she had found what she was looking for."

I shuddered at the thought, and I was glad that Pam had apparently checked my property and found nothing of interest. "I take it you haven't found anything untoward, then?" I asked her.

"As far as I can tell, there has been no suspicious activity around your house." Then she shrugged, "Of course, that doesn't mean much. Hallow's minions may have been here without leaving any evidence of their visit, or she may be waiting for something before she attacks you."

That Pam. You couldn't accuse her of coddling.

"I find it likely that her attack on Pam and I was driven by desperation, and she is no closer to finding the Viking," Vamp-Eric broke in.

The news that the attack was against Pam and Eric left me a bit shaken. I didn't ask if they were ok, because that would be stupid. But I wanted to.

Apparently I was easy to read on this occasion, and Vamp-Eric and Pam shared a laugh over my foolish concern.

"Facing a few Weres is hardly more than sport to us Sookie," said Pam with a fangy grin, "Hallow was most foolish to split her forces like that, and we made her pay for it. But your concern for us is very touching," she added with condescension, and some affection.

"Are we still in any danger, then?"

"Maybe." Vamp-Eric answered.

"She is like a cornered animal now," Pam elaborated. "Her magic trick has failed. Her head on attack has failed. Her numbers are down, and other supernaturals are not cooperating with her. Until we find her, and end her, she should still be feared."

That wasn't the answer I would have liked, but it was what I was expecting. I walked to my front door and opened it, gesturing for the vampires to precede me. "Thank you for telling me. Would you like some bottled blood?"

"No!" Answered vamp-Eric quickly, and I was taken aback by his vehemence, "we must be getting back to Fangtasia," he added in a more normal tone.

Pam nodded in agreement. "See you later Sookie, Viking. Don't go entertaining any strange witches."

"I will see you again soon," vamp-Eric said to me in a definite tone of voice, before following Pam to his car.

As soon as I was on the porch Eric wrapped me up in his arms, and I sniffled a bit now that there were no vampires to see me.

"I am sorry that he-," Eric started to say, but I kissed him to stop him finishing the thought.

It wasn't long before we were in bed – though we didn't sleep for quite some time. I wanted a distraction from my thoughts of Bill's visit, and Eric was happy to oblige. He may not have been as skilled as Bill, but he was very enthusiastic. I didn't think of my ex again that night.

It was with some trepidation that I headed out early the next morning to visit Danielle. For one thing, I could never leave Eric alone without wondering if he'd still be where I left him when I returned home. For another, it felt strange just turning up to visit a woman I never usually saw outside of work. But I really felt it was important to look into Holly's absence, and I didn't think a phone call would be sufficient, so here I was, following Sam's directions in the hopes of finding Danielle.

She was surprised when she answered the door, and then a beat later, suspicious. She wasn't stupid, and knowing some of what Holly was involved in, she didn't think it was a coincidence that 'Crazy Sookie', friend to vampires, was turning up at her house unannounced. Actually, I read most of what I'd come to find out without even trying. But I couldn't very well leave without explaining what I was doing there, and I wanted to get a message to Holly if I could.

"Can I come in?"

"I'd rather talk out here."

"Alright. What do you know about Holly taking time off work?" As she already had her suspicions, and I already knew she was aware of Holly's involvement with Hallow, there wasn't much point in easing into the conversation.

She shrugged, "Same as you. She had to go away urgently for a bit, she doesn't know how long for, she left Cody with me." Her poker face needed work.

I had to approach this carefully, because I didn't want Danielle to view me as a threat – she might not help me get in touch with Holly. I also didn't want to give her any information which could lead Hallow to human-Eric.

"Danielle, I'm not here to get you to tell me anything which could land you in trouble. I just want you to take a message for me to Holly, and I'll leave."

She liked the idea of me leaving, and she figured she didn't have to pay any attention to what I said, if she didn't like it.

"Well I don't know if I'll be able to get in touch with her," she lied, "But I'll see what I can do."

That was good enough for me – I wanted to help Holly, but I wasn't going to go to any great lengths to do it. I had my own problems, and for all I knew, Holly might be on Hallow's side willingly, though it seemed doubtful.

"If you can, tell her I know people who might be able to help her, if she needs it. She can call me any time." Even without hearing her thoughts, I could tell Danielle was surprised, and she was a little less unwilling as she took down my number.

Of course, I didn't tell her that the help I offered would most certainly come with a price, but I was sure Holly could figure that out for herself. If she wanted to be protected from Hallow, she would have to betray her – a risky proposition.

Having addressed a problem that had been worrying me for the past two days, I felt quite relaxed for the rest of the day. A feeling that lasted until about 5 minutes past sunset, when Bill came over to see me again.

I closed the door in his face as soon as I saw who it was. But I opened it again a moment later – I knew he wasn't going anywhere. I stepped out to join him on the porch, and Eric joined me as soon as he saw who it was. He didn't say anything, just put his arm around me, sending a very clear signal. I resisted the urge to push him off me – I didn't want to make him look foolish in front of Bill, or give Bill any kind of encouragement.

Bill's eyes were all smouldery, as though he were trying to communicate something to me before he even started talking. But then he looked away from me, straight at Eric.

"Eric?"

"Yes?"

"Go inside."

"Ok."

And Eric let go of me, turned on his heel, and walked back into my house, closing the door behind him. I gaped in astonishment, too surprised to stop him. I may have seen people glamoured before, but it was still very weird to witness.

Before I could say anything about it, Bill reached out as though to take my hand. I stepped away from him sharply, and his hand fell back to his side.

"Bill, what the hell are you thinking of, glamouring my boyfriend, and incidentally your boss's human self. If Eric – Sheriff Eric – finds out, he'll be furious."

Now a small smile tugged at the corner of Bill's mouth, "And will you tell him?"

Damn, he had me there. But I shouldn't care if vamp-Eric did something horrible to him, so I wasn't going to say anything to set his mind at ease.

I didn't need to, "Well then." said Bill smugly, still with his sly smile. He'd obviously got a lot of satisfaction from going behind vamp-Eric's back and glamouring his human self.

Bill was usually so serious, I had always enjoyed it when he displayed his sense of fun, and I almost found myself smiling back at him, caught up in the mood as I was. Then the horrid sense of betrayal came flooding back, and my expression hardened. I could see my change of mood reflected in his face, as he turned grim once more.

"Sookie, I had to see you, I had to tell you this just once. Whatever my reasons for coming here, when I came to know you, I loved you. I love you."

I didn't know what to do with this information, and maybe I'd think on it later. But it didn't change any of my feelings towards him.

"I thank you for your help with Andre, but don't help me again. Don't come to Merlotte's. I don't want to see you."

Bill looked away from me, his head hanging, "I suppose, now that you are Eric's..."

"_Excuse _me?" I choked out, my intense anger over Bill's betrayal momentarily derailed, "why would you think that?"

He looked confused, and then sly all over again, "You are not his?" He checked, wanting, I supposed, to be sure.

I wasn't in the mood for this possessive vampire carry-on, and I told him so.

"But what then were you both playing at, the night of that raid on Hallow's followers?"

Now that I looked back on it, it was so very obvious what vamp-Eric was doing that night. Sadly, I was so used to being manipulated by vampires that I couldn't summon up much indignation over this latest scheme. It was a small manipulation compared to others, and one I should have seen coming. The vampire standing before me had carried out a far crueller manipulation, and one which had wounded me so deeply, I wasn't sure that I'd ever recover from it.

"It doesn't matter Bill. This doesn't change anything. I want you out of my life."

At last, he left me in peace, and this time he didn't voice any plan to return.

I went back inside to find out what had become of my Viking, and found him in front of the TV, seemingly engrossed. When I drew his attention, he looked confused.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I left you... This isn't even very interesting," and I realised he was watching infomercials. His face was a picture of dismay and chagrin, and his shoulders were slumped.

I sat down next to him and put my arms around him, "Don't worry, honey. Let's finish watching this together, and then we can go to bed."

"Ok," he agreed in a small voice.

The next morning the weather was beautiful, and Eric was itching to get out of the house, so even though it seemed like a mad thing to do in the middle of winter, we had a breakfast picnic outside.

We'd just brought our dishes in, and I was trying to talk Eric into baking a cake with me. He hadn't minded making cookies that one time, but he wasn't particularly interested in learning any more recipes.

"What good will it do me? Do you think I will be able to make a... 'chocolate cake' when I am back in my village? And when I am a vampire, do you think I will have a sudden craving for fresh baking?" He was smiling and joking, despite the touchy subject.

"I'm just suggesting that we do something other than watching TV all day, I don't expect you to memorise the recipe for future use." It was tough coming up with interesting ways to spend the day when I couldn't take Eric out anywhere.

"What's wrong with watching TV all day – after all, I won't see another TV for a thousand years, and then I will apparently be too busy hunting witches and pestering the local telepath to watch anything."

"In that case, I'll bake by myself while you watch TV, and I'll eat the cake by myself too," and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I'm only joking, my lover, I don't want to watch TV. But I don't want to make your cake either," then he moved closer to me and pressed me against the bench with his body, "I'd like to spend some more time outside, and I know just how to spend it." He proceeded to grind into me for emphasis.

A few moments later I ran off to grab a blanket, flushed and giddy. I loved sex with Eric, even freezing cold outdoors sex.

But my excited thoughts were interrupted by someone else's angry ones. Angry... and triumphant? It was someone supernatural, and they were approaching my house.

I stopped suddenly in the hall and dropped the blanket. "Eric!" I yelled without thinking. If whoever it was didn't know he was here with me, I shouldn't have alerted them. But in my fear that this was finally Hallow coming for him, I needed to have him where I could see him. Not that I could do anything to protect him.

Before Eric could join me, the front door flew open with a bang, and I was faced by Debbie Pelt. Who had a gun.


	17. Chapter 17

Well I have moved house since posting the last chapter, and we now have more room to move around *and* a garden, yay! Also, we don't have to worry about a 14-storey apartment building falling on us in an earthquake, which is nice. In other news, Darcy laughed the other day, which was very cute, but I can't seem to get her to do it again. She hasn't been upset by the move, but she doesn't like how dark it is at night here, so we have to sleep with a nightlight.

This chapter was originally meant to go a bit further, but I decided this was a good place to stop. I'm thinking there will be another 3, or possibly 4 chapters. Thanks for reading this far, and I really appreciate all your reviews :)

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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Debbie stalked towards me, levelling the gun in my face with a satisfied smile. Before I could even attempt to do anything to save myself, Eric came bowling into the hallway and shoulder charged her so hard she fell flat, the gun spinning out of her hand and across the floor. Eric made a lunge for her with his hands, but even stunned she was too fast for him. She rolled away and jumped up, making a grab for the gun – but I managed to kick it further away, and scrambled after it.

I felt a hand close around my ankle and yank me back. I fell to the floor, the gun still some distance away from me. I couldn't see anything from my position, but there were a lot of yells and grunts coming from behind me. Surely Eric and I together could subdue Debbie, even if she was a shifter?

The grip on my ankle let up, and I got to my feet in time to see Eric tackle Debbie into a wall. She pushed him off her, and threw him backwards into the living room.

Then she turned on me, screaming "I'm gonna rip your throat out, bitch!", and as she spoke her teeth lengthened and her face changed shape. She closed with me before I could consider arming myself or running, and we grappled with each other barehanded.

Despite my efforts to fend her off, she pushed me back against the stairs, and got her hands around my neck. I gasped, trying to get as much air as I could before her grip tightened. My hands wrapped around her wrists, and she smiled cruelly.

"Hallow will be here soon for your pretty lover boy, but I wanted to take care of you _personally_."

I hadn't tried to read her mind when she'd first arrived – what would have been the point, when she was about to shoot me? Now the contact strengthened my abilities, and the adrenalin sharpened my focus. I quickly learned what Debbie was talking about.

A friend of hers in Hotshot had told her about us. Still bitter about my part in Alcide's treatment of her, and the subsequent beating she received at the hands of Hallow's Weres, she had immediately called the number on Hallow's wanted posters, and spilled everything she knew. But she hadn't wanted Hallow to kill me – oh no, that privilege had to be hers.

I was just wondering where the hell Eric was, when Debbie let go of me and threw herself sideways. Eric's sword buried itself in the wood next to my head, and I screamed.

Eric grimaced apologetically and pulled the sword back, shifting his weight from side to side as he eyed Debbie, who stood with one foot on the same stair my head rested on. She took the opportunity to kick me in the jaw. I moaned in pain, and Eric growled in frustration. Debbie laughed and did it again. I was lucky she didn't have enough room to swing her foot too hard, but it still hurt like hell.

Not wanting to stand by any longer, Eric lunged forward with his sword, but Debbie dodged and ran up the stairs. Eric followed her and I took the opportunity to sit up and get off the stairs. I rubbed my jaw gingerly, but I didn't have time to worry about my injuries right then.

Listening to the crashing noises upstairs, I cursed Eric for bringing another weapon into the fight. I was about to go to Eric's assistance when he reappeared, coming backwards down the stairs rather quickly. When he lost his footing and fell the rest of the way – not far, luckily – I saw that Debbie now had possession of the sword, and she was swiping it in Eric's direction as she followed him down the stairs.

Eric was frantically pushing himself backwards from his position on the floor, towards the front door, but Debbie lost interest in him as soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs and saw me again. I edged away from her, in the opposite direction to Eric. She lunged for me and I barely leapt back in time to avoid the blade. Losing my balance, I fell and landed hard on my butt.

Everything happened very quickly then. Eric was scrambling to his feet again, but he wasn't going to reach us in time. Debbie was swinging the heavy sword back, ready to bring it down on me. My hand brushed something hard and cold, and I realised it was the gun. As the sword arced towards me, I snatched the gun off the floor and fired it desperately.

As Debbie fell to the floor, her fingers relaxed their grip on the sword. Its trajectory interrupted, it clattered to the floor harmlessly. I put the gun down carefully. Eric reached me then, and leaned over Debbie to pull me to my feet. We both looked down at her. She was definitely dead.

Eric grinned at me triumphantly. I felt blank and weary. But we needed to move, so I couldn't afford to dwell on it.

"We can't leave her here for someone to find. But we don't have time to hide her, either."

"Why don't we have time? I will hide her for you," Eric offered, cheerfully.

"Hallow knows you're here. She might be on her way here even now."

His demeanour changed instantly, and I was glad, despite the reason for it. I couldn't handle cheerful right now, after what I'd just done.

"We will be ready for her." Eric sounded determined, though I picked up just a hint of fear from him.

"Eric, we're not staying. We have to leave."

"But we finally have her where we want her!" he exclaimed, surprised and frustrated.

"No. She has _us_ where she wants us."

If it weren't for Debbie's vindictiveness, we would never have had any warning. We would have been caught with our pants down, literally. I shuddered to think of it, feeling cold and scared. We had gotten very lucky, though it didn't feel like it.

"We have to move. Now. We'll put her in the woods, and hope no one finds her before I can get back here."

"Alright. What can I do?" I was thankful he'd decided not to fight me on this.

"I'll clean up here. You put her somewhere well out of sight. The gun too."

As Eric left the house, dragging Debbie with him, I began to clean up the blood. It seemed to take me forever, and I grew increasingly nervous as I scrubbed at my floor and walls, and waited for Eric to get back so we could leave. When he finally returned, I felt like it had been an hour, but it had only been a few minutes.

I knew I needed to cover Eric up if I was going to take him out, and I started going through the clothes I had available. The whole time I was fighting the urge to simply run out the back door and not look back. I kept thinking I could hear a car on the drive. Would Hallow even be driving, or would she fly in on a broomstick? I wished I'd learned more about witches when all this started.

My house was sorely lacking in men's clothing, so the disguise I came up with left a lot to be desired. Eric stood patiently while I wrapped a scarf around the lower half of his face, and then pulled a large woollen hat with ear flaps over his head, leaving only his eyes and nose visible. I had tied his hair up to ensure no stray blond hairs would give him away.

Thinking that my description might also have been circulating around the supernaturals of Shreveport by then, I arranged a wrap around my head so that it hung over my face a bit and hopefully sheltered it from casual inspection. I checked out my face in the mirror, looking at where Debbie had kicked me, and saw that it was a bit red and swollen – hopefully that wouldn't draw attention.

Really, the disguises weren't a very good effort, but we'd just have to try to stay hidden, and hope for the best.

Finally, finally we were climbing into my car, and I felt like I had forgotten a thousand things. I wasn't sure when I'd be back, or even if I'd be back. I'd left a dead body in the woods and who knew what other evidence in my house. And where was Debbie's car? I couldn't do anything about these worries though, because my primary concern was to be gone from the house by the time Hallow got there.

I felt incredibly jittery the whole time we were going down the drive, and then when we were on the road. Every time I turned a corner I dreaded seeing another car heading towards us. If Hallow ran into us anywhere near my house, she would surely suspect us of being the very people she was after.

When we did eventually pass a car coming in the opposite direction, I was shaking badly. I couldn't tell you who the occupants were, or what they looked like, because I was staring straight ahead, determined not to give us away. But nothing happened. We were by that stage far enough from home that the car's occupants could have been anyone, really.

As soon as we hit the main road for Shreveport, I began to breathe easier – slightly easier. I had a half-formed plan. We would lay low around Shreveport until dark, and then I would call Fangtasia. I preferred to try to blend in with the crowd than to lurk around the suburbs.

I wasn't entirely happy with this plan. We might be caught by Hallow wandering around practically at her front door. And it seemed to me that getting closer to the vampires only endangered us more. But I had no one else to go to, with the exception of Sam. And I wasn't going to get him involved more than he already was, especially when he had specifically indicated that he wanted to stay out of it. Niall's supposed protector might have been some help, but she was yet to turn up. So that left the vampires.

Thinking of Sam though made me realise that I did need to call him and let him know what was happening, even if I wasn't going to ask for his help. He needed to know that Hallow was going to come looking for me, so the first thing we did once we got to Shreveport was find a pay phone.

"Sookie," Sam started talking urgently the moment he knew it was me, "Listen to me, you need to leave your house now. Get out of there."

"I'm in Shreveport," I reassured him.

"Oh. Oh I'm so glad you're not at home," I could practically feel his relief flowing through the phone line, "when Holly called me just now I was going to come pick you up, but I didn't know if I'd get there in time, and then when I couldn't get you on the phone..."

"Holly called?"

"Yes, she called to warn you that Hallow was onto you. She couldn't get hold of you either."

I was about to tell him that someone else had warned me about Hallow, but I realised just in time that that would mean admitting to Sam that I'd seen Debbie. I couldn't tell _anyone_ how I'd known to leave my house.

"Well I sure am glad then that I decided to get, uh, my guest, out of the house today. I was worried that if I kept him cooped up any longer he'd go AWOL again."

"You got real lucky, for sure..."

"So Holly called. Did she say anything else?" I deflected him.

"Not much. She did say she'd call back soon though. Shit, I should get off the phone."

"Wait, Sam, tell her if she's serious about working with us, I need to know where to find Hallow, ok?"

"Yeah, I'll do that."

"Thanks, I'll call again later alright?"

"Ok, but Sookie?"

"Yes?"

"You sure you're gonna be safe?"

I chuckled down the phone, "Safe? No. But safe enough, I hope. I'll have reinforcements after dark."

"That's good, I suppose. Talk to you later."

As we needed somewhere to sit and be inconspicuous for a while, we walked a couple of blocks up the street to the library. It was a big place, and we quickly found a quiet section which was almost empty of other people. We both picked up books, and sat down with them open in front of us.

Because we were sitting next to each other, and I was silent, Eric didn't notice I was crying right away. This was the first time we'd had some breathing space since I'd shot Debbie, and now I couldn't stop the big tears from rolling down my face.

Eric shifted to look at me, and was immediately alarmed and surprised.

"Sookie? Sookie, what is it? Why are you crying?"

"I did an awful thing; and I've done a terrible job of looking after you."

If I'd looked after him properly, he never would have given himself away by going to Hotshot. He'd almost been killed three times now under my watch.

"You successfully defended us from that woman, and you got me away from your house before Hallow could find me. You've done an excellent job."

"I killed another human being."

"No. She was no more human than those vampires are."

I just shook my head and resumed staring at my book. How could I explain to him the horror I felt at turning a thinking, feeling person into a lump of dead meat? Whether or not she was a _nice_ person didn't factor into it – it wasn't my place to decide who deserved to live or die. I couldn't say I regretted it exactly. I'd done the only thing I could think to do in the situation, and if one of us was going to die, I preferred that it was her. But her death wasn't something I was proud of, and it wasn't something to celebrate. It was the price paid for my own life, and something I would have to live with now, always.

But I was grateful to be alive, and grateful that Eric was still alive, and still here, beside me. I leaned my head on his shoulder and relaxed a bit, my tears drying after a while. He was feeling mildly concerned, for me I guessed, but he was full of relief and satisfaction. I couldn't comprehend that any more than he could understand my misery, but I didn't hold it against him. After all, he was being respectful of my need for quiet reflection, rather than thrusting his good mood upon me.

It was two hours later when I called Sam back. I brought Eric with me – I'd learned my lesson about leaving him unattended. At least he didn't have any weapons at the moment. I hoped.

The news from Sam was good. He'd heard from Holly, and she'd come through with the information we needed. Somehow I didn't feel particularly elated. I made note of the address he gave me, and then Sam wished me luck. I figured that it wasn't luck I needed so much as fortitude. There was certainly more heartache to come.

For lunch we went to the Subway across the road from the library, which Eric was not very impressed with. After that we had about four hours to kill until I could call Fangtasia. We didn't go back to the library – staying in any one place for too long might draw attention. Instead we went to a movie and then did some window shopping.

I was on edge the whole time, but Eric coped with the stress a lot better than I did. He was delighted to be out of the house, and of course he'd never seen a modern city before, so he was quite fascinated. And he loved the giant TV. It was nice to see him enjoying himself so much, even if I couldn't really join in the happy feelings.

When it finally got colder and darker, and it was time to try to contact vamp-Eric, I let myself wonder for the first time if I'd even be able to get hold of him. Was Fangtasia still open for business? Would anyone answer?

Apparently not even a war with Were-witches would keep Eric from his bar profits, and I had worried for nothing. Pam answered.

"Pam, it's Sookie. Hallow found us."

She hissed down the phone, and when she spoke it was urgent and angry, "Where is the Viking? Does she have him?"

"No, he's fine. We spent the day in Shreveport."

"Where are you now?"

"Still in Shreveport. I have to tell you something important."

"Where?"

"Sorry?"

"Where in Shreveport? I will pick you up."

Evidently she wasn't interested in hearing anything I had to say until human-Eric was 'safely' tucked away at Fangtasia. I gave her our location, and asked her to pick us up from the nearby bus stop.

The first thing Pam said to me when she turned up was, "You know Sookie, the whole point of leaving the Viking with you was so that we wouldn't have to protect him from the Were-witches targeting us."

Her faintly accusing tone annoyed me, "I don't think vampire Eric would have liked it much if I'd kept his human self at my house any longer."

"That's certainly true. You said on the phone you had something to tell me?"

"I know where Hallow is."

"At your house? I doubt that she would hang around."

"No. I know where she's been staying."

Now Pam graced me with a wide smile, "Oh well _done_ Sookie. There will be fighting tonight, then."

"Great, I'm real happy for you guys. Where are we going?" I'd noticed we weren't heading in the right direction for Fangtasia.

"To meet Eric. We can't go to Fangtasia of course, with him," She gestured to human-Eric.

"Oh, of course," I agreed, feeling stupid. I'd kind of assumed things would be more straight forward now that everything was out in the open. But it wouldn't really be a good idea to advertise that the vampires had human-Eric now, by parading him around in their bar.

Pam was very intense and focused now as she spoke to me, "Your news could not come at a better time. Eric's been... distracted recently," she looked at me disapprovingly, "It's not good for us. Getting his hands on Hallow at last could be just what he needs."

I wondered at her blaming me for her maker's behaviour. I'd be distracted too if a coven of Were-witches wanted to kill me. Which, come to think of it, they probably did now.

"Distracted?" I questioned her, hoping she'd elaborate.

"He is not taking this threat as seriously as he was before – as seriously as he should."

Before I could work out what to say to that, she jumped in with a question of her own, "How did you escape the witch?" She didn't seem suspicious at all, only genuinely curious.

I had known this question was coming, so I didn't waste any time in considering my answer, "Another witch, who works at Merlotte's, phoned Sam and he warned me. It was the same witch, by the way, who told me where we can find Hallow, so you have to spare her," then I added, "please," because I knew better than to try to order vampires around.

"Of course," she replied easily, "We would not kill an ally, if we could help it."

It was the last bit which worried me. "I offered her help in exchange for information. We owe her, or at least I do."

"Yes Sookie, I get it," she replied, sounding put upon now, "But you will understand if I tell you that the fate of one human is not going to be a priority for us tonight. Now tell me, what happened to your face?"

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, and I was left floundering for a moment. Eric answered for me.

"Sookie walked into a door."

I hadn't previously had the opportunity to discover what an appalling liar he was. Maybe at another time I would appreciate his relative innocence, but right now I wished he had his vampire self's truth-bending abilities. I wanted to groan aloud.

"That's our clumsy Sookie," replied Pam with a smile,_ seemingly_ oblivious. Hah.

I glanced at Eric, and while he wasn't quite winking at me, his attempt at a poker face was worse than his bumbling falsehood.

Thankfully, there was no more talking, and I wasn't called upon to explain what had really happened to my face. I didn't doubt that that would come back to bite me later though.

When we reached vamp-Eric, he was standing by his car and fiddling with his phone. He didn't look up when we stopped, but as soon as I'd gotten out of the car he took a step towards me, reached out a hand, and tilted my chin up to look at my face. He cocked his eyebrow at me, but didn't question me as Pam had.

"Our enterprising friend has discovered Hallow's whereabouts," said Pam from behind me.

"Excellent. I will gather our allies," Eric responded, dropping his hand and looking back to his phone again.

I watched him texting, feeling deflated. I hadn't expected him to do a happy dance or anything, but I had thought that there would be more of a reaction than this.

Without looking up, Eric asked me, "Where can we find the witch?"

I handed him the post-it I'd scribbled Holly's information on. A moment later he returned the phone to his pocket. "You can drive with Pam," He told me, and then watched me expectantly. I got the point after a while and went back to sit in Pam's car with human-Eric. I took the opportunity to take off my 'disguise', and noticed that my Viking had done the same.

Pam and Eric spent quite some time talking, and at one point Eric got a map book out of his car and started scribbling in it. For some reason I was surprised by the map book, and I amused myself for a while by imagining Eric trying to navigate his way round Shreveport, consulting his map book and refusing to stop for directions.

"Are we going to attack Hallow tonight, or just sit around talking about it until she gets away again?" Human-Eric grumbled.

"Mhm..." I mumbled back vaguely, suddenly distracted as Vamp-Eric glanced at me while still talking to Pam. Huh, that was subtle.

There was another flurry of texting, and then Eric got back into his car and Pam rejoined us. Moments later we were speeding through the streets of Shreveport, following Eric's car on our way to Hallow's hideout, and I was left feeling rather dazed. I hadn't realised a battle could be organised so quickly. I had so many questions I'd meant to ask. What part would I be playing in the attack? What about human-Eric? Would Holly be saved? Were the Shreveport Weres fighting with the vampires?

"Do you see what I mean?" asked Pam, and I realised she was referring to her earlier comment about Eric's distracted state.

"Do you think the attack will fail, and you will all be killed?" asked human-Eric, sounding hopeful.

"You realise that Sookie would also die in that situation?" Pam informed him, matter-of-fact.

That answered one of my questions. Clearly they were expecting me to play an active role in the attack. I wasn't sure what they expected a human with little fighting experience to accomplish. Maybe I was simply one more body to provide a distraction and draw fire away from the vampires? Lucky me. I clutched my hands together in my lap and stared at them, wondering whether there was any point in voicing my objections.

"Don't worry," Pam reassured me, "The attack will not fail. You'll probably be fine."

Eric quickly moved to sit next to me, and put an arm around my shoulders, "Yes, my lover, don't worry. I will be with you."

Pam started laughing, "I'm so glad I will be there when Eric hears about this."

Eric laughed too, and the mood in the car was almost festive. Pam and Eric both looked fierce and expectant, their eyes bright and their smiles predatory. My own mood could not have been more different to theirs. I felt full of dread, and sadness.

I had been keeping an eye on street signs, so I knew we weren't at the right address yet when we passed Alcide and Colonel Flood getting out of a car, which was parked by the side of the road. Pam didn't react, so presumably the Weres were indeed on our side in this battle. Vamp-Eric's car in front of us had slowed, so Alcide was able to notice us, and wave as we drove by. I wondered why we didn't stop – were we not meeting up with the Weres?

"Well we're not exactly going to all turn up at Hallow's house together and park on her lawn, are we Sookie?" Pam answered when I asked about it.

It wasn't long before we were parking at an E-Z Mart, and my fear ratcheted up a notch as we drew closer to the impending fight. I supposed the one good thing about being involved was that I'd be able to find Holly and try to get her out myself, rather than hoping that one of the vampires would think to do it.

Human-Eric got out of the car when Pam and I did, and when vamp-Eric joined us I looked between him and his human self apprehensively. I could feel that my Viking was preparing for a major confrontation.

"Give Sookie your keys," vamp-Eric said calmly to Pam, and then he said to me, "You and the Viking will stay here."

Human-Eric opened his mouth to protest, but Pam beat him to it, "Eric, when we first talked about this night, you said that-,"

"But now I realise that she must stay to keep an eye on the Viking," He finished for her.

"I will not be babysat while you fight my battle for me!" Human-Eric objected furiously.

His vampire self looked him straight in the eye, "_Do you _want Sookie to stay out of the fight?"

Human-Eric stayed quiet.

"Well then." Vamp-Eric concluded.

I guessed that was decided.

I couldn't help but feel relieved, but now I had another problem, since I wouldn't be there to oversee Holly's rescue.

"Eric," I said to the vampire urgently, "I promised Holly, the witch who helped us, protection."

"She will not be harmed," he reassured me, but he didn't seem to pay me much attention as I went on to describe her for him.

Pam handed me her keys as Vamp-Eric had requested, then pulled open one of the back doors and ushered the reluctant Human-Eric inside. I got in the front and sat in the driver's seat. Vamp-Eric leaned in the window to give me some final instructions.

"Keep an ear out," I knew he wasn't referring to my actual ears, "and if you hear anything suspicious, drive. Oh, and don't go wandering off anywhere, will you Sookie?" He said the last as though he was amused, rather than truly worried about the possibility.

It felt very cold and lonely waiting in that car park after the vampires had left to meet up with their fellow assailants. I had no idea what was going on, or how close to the action we were. I was tingling all over with nerves as I strained to sense anyone – or anything – approaching our car. Eric didn't do much to lighten the mood, as he was still angry about being left behind with me, and itching to be involved in the fighting. He practically had his face pressed against the window in his eagerness to follow the vampires. At one point his fingers curled around the door handle and pulled. I wasn't sure whether he just couldn't help himself or he was making a genuine escape attempt, but it turned out the child lock was on. Thank you, Pam.

Eric released the door handle and casually shuffled into the middle of the back seat. Without looking back at him, I warned him, "If you start climbing over here, I'm going to start driving."

"Don't you see, now that they are gone, I can go after them and you can stay here and be safe," he growled out, frustrated, "Why should I not be allowed to fight the witch who worked her magic on me? I am a warrior!"

"This is a supernatural war. It's no place for us humans."

Actually, I agreed with him in part. I may think it was stupid of him to want to fight Were-witches, but he wasn't a child, and it was partly his fight. He'd risked death in battle before. It felt wrong to be holding him here against his will, when he was more than capable of making his own decisions. I wanted to be his girlfriend, not his jailer, or his mother. But he'd had very little experience in dealing with supernaturals, and it wasn't just his own life he'd be risking, but vamp-Eric's as well. So I would do my best to keep him out of the fight, as his vampire self had intended, even if I didn't like it.

Or at least, that had been my plan. But I had my own reason to want to leave the relative safety of Pam's car and join the attack on Hallow. I had told Holly she would be safe if she helped us, and she had come through on her end of the bargain. She had warned me of Hallow's impending attack – she would have saved my life, and Eric's too, if Debbie hadn't beaten her to it. Holly had put her own life on the line by contacting me through Sam. I felt incredibly responsible to her now, and to her son. Could I really leave it up to the vampires to save her, when I knew how little they valued the lives of humans – even those who helped them?

But if I left the car and involved myself in the battle, my Viking would follow. He could die, and his vampire self with him. Could I put Holly's life before Eric's? Who did I owe more, the woman who had risked herself to help me, or the man I loved? Was I even protecting _my _Eric, or only the vampire he would become?

Sensing my indecision, Eric renewed his attempts to convince me, "my lover, what is the worst that will happen? I am going to die soon anyway, right?" He was smiling, but it looked unnatural. This argument did nothing to persuade me.

Distracted as I now was, it came as a nasty shock when I saw a tall figure enter the car park and stroll casually towards our car. Whoever it was wasn't human – that was suspicious enough for me. I turned the key in the ignition.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: **Well I finished this chapter more quickly than usual - I guess I'm extra motivated now that the story's nearly finished.

I still haven't worked out how to get Darcy to laugh, sometimes she laughs when I just look at her, other times she stubbornly refuses to laugh at anything. Oh well, we are going to give solids a go this weekend, so that should provide plenty of amusement for the whole family.

Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to review, it's much appreciated.

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks, for tidying this up for me :)

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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The car's headlights flooded the car park, and illuminated the gorgeous woman approaching us. She was at least six feet tall, with long rippling dark hair, large dark almond-shaped eyes, and very pale skin. She was wearing an orange knit dress and the highest of high heels.

Her startling appearance, and the spark of recognition I felt when I saw her, made me hesitate in driving away. In the time it took me to remember where I'd seen her – Merlotte's on New Year's Eve – she reached us, and stood right in front of the car, beaming at me.

"_That's_ what a witch looks like?" Asked Eric, sounding admiring rather than alarmed.

"I don't know," I replied shortly.

I couldn't drive forward now without hitting the woman – and I wasn't going to run someone over on suspicion of being a Were-witch. I couldn't reverse either, as I wasn't confident I could get over the concrete lip behind us. The woman was still smiling at me, and wasn't showing any signs of trying to cast a spell on us. Cautiously I rolled down my window, and called out to her.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Claudine, your fairy godmother."

My face must have showed how non-plussed I was by this information, so she added, "Niall sent me."

I relaxed a bit and turned the motor off again, since I wasn't going to be driving away. At least not right then. I opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Sookie Stackhouse, pleased to meet you." No doubt she knew my name already, but it didn't seem polite to assume it.

She practically skipped over to me, and then wrapped me up in a hug. I was taken-aback by the gesture, but returned it anyway. It felt good to get a hug.

Eric meanwhile was scrambling into the front seat. I moved away from the door so he could join us.

"Well _hello_," Claudine greeted him, smiling again as she admired him.

Eric's eyes were very wide as he took her in, and I felt quite unattractive, standing next to Claudine. I was still wearing the clothes I'd put on hastily before we fled the house, and I hadn't had a shower, or put any make up on. Then I felt ridiculous and shallow, letting such a thing bother me after everything that had happened that day.

"How did you come to be wandering around this car park at night?" I asked her curiously, as her sudden appearance here seemed very odd to me.

"There's a lot going on tonight in this area," She answered me, somewhat unhelpfully.

There were probably a lot of other things I should have asked her, but I was very short on time.

"I need to go," I told her.

"Go where?" She asked.

"I'm going with you," Eric insisted, at the same time.

"There's a fight about to start, or maybe it already has, and I need to be there," I answered Claudine. "You can come with me, if you want to," I offered, before realising that of course she couldn't.

"Oh no, I can't be around vampires. Particularly not fighting vampires." She laughed a tinkling laugh.

I had an idea, and glanced at Eric. He looked excited. I felt mean, and disloyal.

"If you're my fairy god mother, would you mind doing me a favour?"

"Hm," She looked thoughtful, "Why don't you tell me what you need help with?"

"Him," I nodded in Eric's direction.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, gleefully, "What do you want me to do with him?"

"No!" Eric interjected furiously, understanding my intention, "No!"

"I'm sorry," I told him honestly, "I know it's not fair. But I have to go, and you have to stay here."

"No! Why is it that everyone is allowed to risk themselves but me? Even _you _are capable of fighting Were-witches apparently, but I am not. Why do you insist on believing that I'm weak, or foolish?"

"I don't think you're weak," I refuted, "and I don't think you're foolish – only unacquainted with the savagery of the supernatural world. And you really _will_ understand one day." I smiled weakly at that.

"She will not keep me here," he said, glaring at Claudine.

"Just try me." She retorted, grinning cheerfully, eyeing him up and down. Then she asked me excitedly, "Do you want me to detain him _by any means necessary_?"

"Uh, Ye-, No!" I snapped.

"Never mind, then." She trilled.

She moved round to the front of the car again, and sat on the hood, crossing her long legs and resting her arms on them. "Don't worry about tall, blond, and not-dead-yet, he won't sneak away on my watch." Then she looked away, giving us some privacy.

Eric looked even more pissed off. I moved closer to him and placed a hand on his chest. "I wish it didn't hurt you so to be kept out of the fighting. I wish that was an option for me."

He looked somewhat mollified by that, and moved closer, resting his chin on top of my head, and reaching for one of my hands, "I'm sorry that I will put you into danger so willingly when I am a vampire."

"Just think," I said, trying to lighten the mood, "You can fight the Were-witches, you just have to wait a thousand years."

He chuckled, and kissed me, and then I pulled back and told him, "I have to go now."

Then I stood for a moment, realising I didn't actually know _where_ I had to go to. Claudine joined us again, and pointed down the road "That way."

"Thank you."

"Take care."

"I appreciate you doing this for me, Claudine. I look forward to talking more with you when I get the chance." Clearly we had a lot to talk about.

And then I found myself doing exactly what vamp-Eric had warned me not to do – wandering off into the night.

Claudine's direction had been very vague of course, but I hadn't gone far down the road when I recognised the snarly thoughts and voids which represented a group of Weres and vampires. I headed in their direction, turning down a couple of little streets one after the other.

As I got closer, I encountered something similar to the magic which had prevented me seeing Hallow's house during our messed up spying attempt. This time, I felt a strong revulsion, pushing me to leave and not come back. Moving forward became increasingly difficult, but since I knew what was causing the feeling, I kept going.

I reached the centre of the magic and the mass of supernatural minds at the same time. I'd just come around a corner, and across the road, at the opposite end of the block, was a large building, with posters covering the windows and plywood nailed over the glass doors. The Weres and vampires were spread out in small groups, surrounding the building. There was a group of humans too in one area, which confused me. I had no idea what Eric might have brought them for.

I was relieved that it seemed like the attack had yet to begin, so I wasn't too late to save Holly. I figured I would just attach myself to one of the attack groups, and when I went in with them, I'd find Holly and get her out.

Since I preferred not to run into Bill again, and I certainly didn't want to explain myself to Eric or Pam, I went for a group of Weres. I just hoped they wouldn't rip me to pieces before I could explain myself.

As I was concentrating on the Weres I planned to join, I felt something large and warm pressed against my side. I looked down to see eyes and teeth gleaming, and almost screamed until I recognised Alcide in his wolf form.

"There's a witch in there who mustn't die. I've got to go in with you."

His mouth opened in what looked like a smile, his tongue lolling out. He seemed happy about something as he padded away from me, looking back over his shoulder at me, inviting me to follow.

I abandoned my original plan, and followed him, figuring he wanted me to join his group. Unfortunately, his group turned out to include two vampires. Pam and Eric.

Pam didn't look at all happy to see me, but Eric gave me a slight smile and gestured for me to come closer.

"What good timing you have Sookie. Is the Viking safe?"

I nodded hard enough to hurt my neck. I didn't want to be eaten by angry vampires.

Eric stepped right into my personal space then, and actually sniffed at me. "Mmm, Sookie, you smell..."

Of course, I'd been hugging a fairy. Oops.

"Eric?" Pam's voice was controlled and respectful, but I thought she looked a tad exasperated.

Eric's expression grew serious then, and he loomed over me, "We need to be invited in. Alcide was going to do it, but he would have to start the fight as a human, and then change."

I gulped. Did I get time to think about this? Sure, I wanted to get in to find Holly, but I hadn't planned on being first, and unaccompanied.

"There is no time," said Eric.

"Alright," I agreed, trying to sound matter of fact, "I'll be the first through the door then, and I'll invite you all in?"

Eric nodded, and stepped back, "We will go to the front door. There are others already waiting at the back."

I walked with Pam, Alcide, and Eric towards the building Hallow was holed up in. I so didn't want to be there, but I tried to look on the bright side – I would definitely have the chance to find Holly and get her out before she was attacked by our own side.

As we all got into our positions, I noticed that Pam was looking happier now – I guessed no matter how much Eric had messed things up, there wasn't much that could go wrong at this point. She noticed me looking, and smiled, fangs on display.

"I kick, you go in."

She leaned to give me a quick peck on the cheek, which surprised me. Then she turned back to the door, and I took a deep breath as she cocked her leg and kicked the door in, breaking the lock and splintering the plywood.

I leaped inside and screamed, "Come in."

I barely registered the witches sitting in a circle, various objects arranged in front of them. Instead, I scanned faces, trying to locate Holly in a hurry. When I found her, she was scrambling to her feet, pulling two others with her and yelling at a third. The four witches had all been together in their part of the circle, and now they were pressing themselves against the wall and edging their way around the chaos which had erupted in the room, trying to get to the door.

Immensely thankful for Holly's presence of mind and quick action, I made my way towards them as quickly as possible. All four looked terrified, and Holly clutched at my hand desperately when I offered it.

As we ran for the way out, I kept an eye on the fight, hoping to avoid becoming a part of it. The room had started to fill with a heavy mist, and we could barely see the door anymore, as we felt our way along the wall. A woman, one of Hallow's witches, suddenly loomed out of the mist and gripped my arm, trying to grab my neck with her other hand. Holly whimpered behind me, but I bit my attacker as hard as could, and she shrieked and released me.

I'd just prepared to start moving forward again when I heard a male scream from behind me. I looked back to find one of my charges being pulled away by another witch. Keeping a grip on Holly's hand, I reached past the two other women with us, and punched the man's assailant right in the nose with my free hand. The attacking witch let go and grabbed at his face in shock, and I turned back only to see the man I'd been trying to save lying on the floor in a pool of blood, being savaged by a wolf.

I lunged back to the relative safety of the wall, pulling the surviving three witches with me. The door was completely lost to our sight now, but we kept our hands firmly linked, all moving forward slowly and feeling around for the door. I almost sobbed in relief when I felt the edges of the door, and breathed in the fresh, cold night air coming in through it. All four of us stumbled out into the dark and ran awkwardly down the street, still holding hands.

Eventually we stopped running, dropped out hands, and stood panting, peering in all directions lest another threat appear. Gradually we realised we really had made it out, no one had followed us, and we were safe for now.

"I hope your vamps kill them all," Holly hissed out, venomously.

"I don't think you need to worry about that," I answered back, and then I addressed all three of them, "Get out of here, go home now. I'm going to wait here."

They left together, and then I stood by myself in the dark, feeling shaky and wondering what I should be doing. I thought about going back to human-Eric and Claudine, but now that I was this close to the fight, I couldn't leave without finding out what happened.

Now that I was by myself in the still quiet of the night, it was strange to think that there was a battle going on so close, that people I cared about were engaged in a deadly struggle. Eric and Pam had seemed so sure of themselves, and I thought that the vampires could probably take care of themselves. But I was worried for the Weres, and I felt especially sick thinking of Alcide. At least I had fulfilled my obligation to Holly; that was a huge weight off my mind.

Eventually, vamp-Eric came for me. I had expected that one of the vampires – probably Pam – would be detailed to see me safely back to my car. Well, not _me_, but human-Eric. Having him in my care certainly gained me more of vamp-Eric's attention. Whether you think of that as an advantage or not is up to you, but I know where I stand on it. I was surprised though that Eric would come to me himself, as I had figured he would be too busy interrogating Hallow. I shuddered to think of what that meant.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"We won, of course."

"I mean, is everyone on our side alright?" Was that a stupid question? Should I have asked who _wasn't_ alright, instead?

"Chow was killed."

"I'm sorry."

He shrugged, "He has been avenged."

"And the Weres?"

He had to think about that for a moment, "One dead. Colonel Flood was injured."

"Who?" I asked, meaning who had been killed.

"Not Alcide."

That would have to do. I felt relieved, and then I felt guilty for feeling relieved. Someone had died, after all, just not anyone I was close to. I pushed the feeling away – I'd been feeling guilty about too much recently. _This_ was not my fault.

"Alright. I'm glad that it turned out the way you'd hoped." I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to ask my next question, "the spell?" was all I could manage to say.

"We have Hallow. She will reverse it." He sounded very certain.

"But what about the fairies who helped her cast the spell?"

"There were no fairies there," He sounded regretful, rather than relieved, "It won't make a difference, though."

I wanted to ask him how he knew, but he asked his own question first.

"Pam tells me you are hiding something from us."

My heart literally skipped a beat. I wouldn't, _couldn't_, tell Eric about Debbie. I still needed to figure out how to hide what I'd done, and maybe he could have helped me with that – vampires knew all about cleaning up bodies. But if he helped me, he would have power over me forever. He would know that I had killed a person, and I would owe him for covering it up.

"I don't want to talk about it now, I just want to get home."

"Alright," He agreed, and I was taken aback at how easy that was, "I'll drive you and the Viking home now."

"Can you just take us to my car please? That would be easiest." For more than one reason.

"No. I want to take a look around, make sure Hallow doesn't have anyone waiting at your house."

He spoke casually, there was no smugness about him, no expression to give him away. But I felt sick. He knew, he _knew_ somehow. Maybe he didn't know exact details, but he was sure that I was hiding something big, something that might affect him, and he wasn't going to let it go.

I sat down suddenly on the pavement, ignoring how cold and hard it was. I put my head in my hands and spoke without looking at him.

"I killed Debbie Pelt."

"I see."

I glanced back up at him, "It was self defence. She'd turned us in to Hallow. She was going to kill me."

"And you told the police this, I suppose?" He was enjoying this, I could tell.

"You know very well that I couldn't have!" I replied heatedly, "Your human self put her in the woods. I have to decide what to do with her when I get home. Her car must be somewhere nearby. There's her gun too. And I cleaned up the blood in my house, but I'm sure there's evidence to find still, if someone were to look for it." My voice grew angrier the more I spoke, as I became overwhelmed by the enormity of my troubles. Instead of crying, I yelled.

He frowned at me, and I shut up abruptly.

"It is lucky for you that there is no one else around to hear you confess so loudly."

"Does it matter?"

"You don't need to worry," now he exuded satisfaction, "I will get it cleaned up."

Maybe I should have told him I would deal with it myself, rather than getting in any deeper with him. Maybe I should have confessed to the police and accepted my punishment – except it _was_ self-defence, and I wasn't going to let Debbie screw up my life any more than she had, if I could help it. And didn't Eric owe me a massive favour, for what I had done for him already, keeping his human self with me?

And wouldn't Eric do whatever he thought best, regardless of any objections I might make?

"Alright. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

Except of course he would use this against me, if he ever felt he needed an advantage over me. Yet _another_ advantage, I should say.

As Eric spoke to someone on his phone, my mood lightened. Whatever the consequences would be of letting Eric help me tonight, they were vague and in the future. Debbie's death was a huge problem for me right now, and it was being taken care of. I realised that I would not have to pay the price for her spitefulness, and the relief was intense.

Eric finished his conversation and put his phone away, "They're on their way. They will be efficient, and discreet. No one will know."

Then he offered me his hand, and pulled me up, "Let's go."

As we were walking, I suddenly realised that having a vampire turn up in the car park while Claudine was there waiting for me was a seriously bad idea.

"Eric, there's a fairy up ahead. She was sent by Niall. You won't attack her, will you?"

"She can't hide her scent as Niall does."

"That's not an answer."

"She won't hang around for long when she sees me."

"Ok, but all the same I think I'll go ahead and warn her."

He didn't stop walking, so I ran ahead. It was a short enough distance that I was barely panting when I got to the car park.

Human-Eric was leaning back against the car, and Claudine was sitting in the driver's seat with the door open. Eric straightened as soon as he saw me running towards them.

"What's wrong? Did Hallow win? Is she coming after you?" Over the course of his questioning he went from sounding concerned, to sounding excited.

"Are you alright?" Claudine asked, standing as I stopped before them. Her question was casual, but her body was tense, and she suddenly looked a lot more formidable than she had when she'd first strolled into the car park.

"I'm sorry Claudine, but you'd better go. Eric – the vampire – is right behind me."

"Oh I shouldn't be here then. My blood is intoxicating to vampires, you know."

"I do know, it's fine – I'm fine. You can go."

She bent and kissed me on the cheek, "I'll be around. It was lovely to meet you!" And then she walked off into the night, in the opposite direction to where I'd come from.

I exhaled in relief, and Human-Eric gently tugged me around to face him, and wrapped me up in a hug. He leaned down, and with his mouth close to my ear, murmured "Well?"

It felt good to be in his arms, and some of my tension left me as I returned his embrace. "Hallow's been captured."

He went very still for a moment, and then his arms grew tighter as he squeezed me.

"Ow, Eric!" I slapped at his arms, and he released me.

"What's going to happen to me? Do I have to go back now?" He was looking around as though someone was going to appear to drag him kicking and screaming back to the Viking age.

Before I could answer, his vampire self arrived. I was thankful he'd taken his time.

"No," He answered human-Eric's question, "We need Hallow's cooperation first."

My Viking whirled to face him, and scowled. "You will no longer endanger this woman when I am gone, or make her do things."

Vamp-Eric just looked at him incredulously, so he kept talking, "I can't believe I would ever treat her as you do."

Now vamp-Eric smiled widely, "And this is why you have been clamouring to stay with me all this time, so that you would not endanger Sookie."

I was treated to the rare spectacle of a speechless Eric – my Eric. I didn't like to see it, even though his vampire self kind of had a point. I reached out and took human-Eric's hand.

"It's alright, I invited you. And if you hadn't been with me, Debbie surely would have killed me."

His eyes widened and he glanced at vamp-Eric, then back at me questioningly.

"He knows," I reassured him.

He growled, "and I suppose you will hold this over her head as well?" he asked vamp-Eric. Obviously he hadn't learned yet that you should never ask questions you don't want to hear the answer to.

Vamp-Eric's response was puzzling though. He stared very hard at his human-self, and then asked in a measured tone, "Do you enjoy being with Sookie?"

Human-Eric turned to me, nonplussed. Then a look of comprehension crossed his face, right before he turned his head away from both of us. Good, I was glad someone understood, because I was still lost.

There was a long moment of silence, and then vamp-Eric spoke again.

"Good." He walked to his corvette, gesturing for us to follow, "I'll drive you to your car."

There was no more talk of driving us to my house. So much for his concern over the possibility of one of Hallow's followers waiting there for us.

My Viking didn't speak again the whole way through Shreveport to where we'd left my car parked. In fact, it wasn't until we were halfway home that he stopped brooding and asked me a question.

"Will you be with me, when I'm a vampire?" he looked eager and hopeful, but forlorn, all at once.

Well that was awkward. And it seemed like a strange thing to ask, when he was the one always pointing out what an ass vamp-Eric was.

"I don't know, Eric." I settled for saying.

"Why not?"

"Because being in a relationship with you is a completely different proposition to being in a relationship with your vampire self."

"Because you know I have to leave?"

"No!" His insinuation made me angry, as did this complete about turn in his attitude towards vamp-Eric.

"Why then?"

I thought I'd dealt with this issue pretty comprehensively the first time it came up, but apparently Eric wanted to revisit it.

"Because I can't trust him. Because everything is a political manoeuvre to him. Because I don't want to be just his telepathic asset, or his tasty fairy snack."

"You think I only love you because you are telepathic, or because of your fairy blood?" Now _he_ sounded pissed off.

"No, not you, of course not."

"_He _is _me_." He reminded me self-righteously.

"Hold on. You plotted to kill him. But I can't even suggest that his motives might be less than pure?"

There was frosty silence between us for the remainder of the drive home. Even after I got over my frustration with Eric, I didn't feel much like talking, as I was too busy wondering what we'd find when we got back.

To my relief, what we found was absolutely no sign of Debbie Pelt, her gun, her car – or her blood.

I was grateful that I didn't have to think about Debbie anymore, but now I had a new worry: would human-Eric suddenly disappear when Hallow was 'convinced' to cooperate?

I couldn't bear the idea that this might be our last night together, and we weren't even talking to each other, so I suggested one of our showers. He was happy to comply, and by the time we stepped out, the bad feeling between us had gone.

Maybe we couldn't agree on how far I should trust him as a vampire – but that didn't have to spoil what was possibly his last night here.

Of course, our resolution to stay awake the whole night lasted for about an hour after we got back home. But when we curled up in bed together, he wrapped his arms around me and held me to him tightly, and I relished the feeling of falling asleep with someone I loved next to me. I knew I was going to miss it.

I was woken by the phone ringing, when it was still dark outside. I was relieved to see my Viking next to me, still there in my bed – and sleeping like a rock, apparently. Glancing at my clock as I reached for phone, I realised that the sun would be up soon. I could guess who was calling, and I was reluctant to hear what he had to say.

"Hello?"

"Good morning." The words were pleasant, but his tone was subdued.

"What's up?"

"I'm calling to let you know that you need to bring the Viking to Fangtasia tomorrow night."

My heart sank – sure, it was longer than I'd thought we'd have together, but being given a time made it seem so much more real, and definite. My Eric was really going. I did wonder though how vamp-Eric could be so sure.

"It will take you two days to reverse the spell?"

"No."

"Oh," I thought about that for a moment, "Thank you."

I wasn't sure what I was thanking him for. He was forcing my sweet human boyfriend, whom I loved, to leave me and become a vampire. To become him. And really, he was doing himself a favour – his human self. But it was uncharacteristically considerate, and I did feel thankful.

Now I just had to tell my Viking that he was going home to die in two days.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: **So Darcy *loves* real food, which is great, except she keeps snatching the spoon out of my hand and smearing food all over her face. Still no progress with the laughing...

There's going to be 2 more chapters, for sure. Thanks for sticking with me, and I really appreciate your reviews :)

Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks.

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I didn't break the news as gently as I had planned. It was after breakfast, and we were sitting outside 'enjoying the sun' at Eric's insistence. It was in fact raining, and Eric looked miserable. Not just because of the wet hair plastered to his face and the water dripping off the end of his nose, but because he was in a constant state of high alert, wide-eyed and tense, as though he was afraid he might disappear at any moment, right in front of me.I was pretty sure that was exactly what he was afraid of.

He'd been that way since we'd woken up that morning, and I couldn't bear it any longer. I finally gave up trying to think of a good way to tell him, and just blurted it out.

"Vampire Eric called. You're going to be here until tomorrow night." After a moment, when he didn't noticeably relax at all, I added, "So you don't need to keep looking like that."

I realise that wasn't very understanding of me, but it had been a very long morning.

He seemed to shake himself out of it, and grinned at me, "Well we should celebrate our extra time together then."

He jumped off his yard chair and joined me on my chaise, covering my body with his and leaning in for a kiss.

"No! I'm drawing the line!" I told him, pushing him off me, "I agreed to sit out here with you, but we are _not_ having sex in the rain."

He shrugged and rolled the rest of the way off me, then went back to his own chair. I wasn't buying his sudden good mood – I'd expected more of a reaction from him. Anyway, his emotions were giving him away. There were no sexy feelings coming from him at all, just fear – lots of fear.

I spoke without thinking. "Eric, it's alright, you're allowed to be scared." I didn't want him feeling like I'd think any less of him, like he had to hide that from me and act like everything was ok for the next day and a half. I wanted to be there for him.

He tensed, and I immediately realised that it was wrong of me to try to force him to acknowledge his feelings, when he was trying to hide them from me, or maybe from himself. This was why the people in my little town didn't like to be around me, and it was a mistake I didn't often make anymore.

So I didn't say anything else, but just sat quietly, waiting for him to respond or not, however he wanted.

"I'm not afraid of death," He said abruptly. "Or at least, I don't feel like it's a bad thing. I'm comfortable with the idea of dying. It seems so horrifying, though, to live on in a dead body."

The rain was coming down harder now; I pulled my coat tight around me, and leaned closer to Eric, ensuring that I would hear him over the incessant patter. I wasn't going to point out how silly it was to be sitting outside getting soaking wet in the middle of winter. I'd rather freeze to death than interrupt him just now.

"I keep trying to imagine what it will be like to be a monster; to crave blood, to have inhuman abilities, to keep company with other monsters. But I can't imagine it. What kind of life will I have, when I'm a dead creature without friends or family?"

I tried, really tried, to come up with something to say that would reassure him, something positive. I was going to point out that he wouldn't always be alone – but then he'd always _end up_ alone. I was going to say that there would be some good times, but the corollary of that was that there would be many more bad times. I thought of telling him about the things vamp-Eric took pleasure in; his corvette, money, risky political games... torturing people. For the first time, I really understood how becoming a vampire had destroyed Eric the man. Was there any of my Eric left in him – my scared, lonely Eric who wanted something good in his life? Or was he all monster now?

Looking at my bedraggled Viking, I knew I had nothing good to tell him, yet I refused to lie to him. So instead I stood and offered him my hand.

"Come on. We're soaking, and I can't feel my fingers and toes anymore. I'll get you some 7up."

Eric smiled, weakly but genuinely this time, and took my hand so I could pull him up. Standing, he shook like a dog, and his wet hair flew around his face.

He laughed, "This was a ridiculous idea. I can't believe you agreed to sit out here with me."

He spoke as though I had been crazy to do so, and I tended to agree with him.

When we were back inside, and warm and dry, I realised I should call Jason. Eric of course had bigger problems than having to say goodbye to his new buddy, but I knew Jason would feel hurt if Eric just disappeared. More importantly, I hoped Jason would provide a pleasant distraction for Eric.

I would be supervising them this time, however. I wasn't entirely confident that Eric wouldn't get Jason involved in some mad scheme to kill his vampire self, if I didn't keep an eye on them both.

"Hey Jason, how are you feeling?" I asked when he answered the phone. He had been mauled by a were-panther just a few days before, after all.

"Well the bite's still sore, but I reckon I'll be able to go back to work soon. It doesn't seem like it's infected, which is good."

Oh, if only he knew. I really ought to talk to him about the possible 'infection' soon – but I was kind of busy trying to look after Eric just at the moment. And I still had some time before the full moon.

"Glad to hear it. Do you think you can drive then? I have some news, and I'd really like you to come visit."

"Sure, what's the news?"

"It's about Eric. He has to go back home."

"To Sweden?" he sounded shocked.

"Yeah." I didn't have to fake the sadness in my voice.

"Sorry Sookie, Eric's a good guy. That sucks."

"He's leaving tomorrow night."

"Shit, that soon?"

Jason really did sound gutted. I wasn't sure whether that was for my sake, or because he was going to miss Eric himself. But I appreciated it either way.

"Yeah, that soon. He really doesn't have a choice. When will we see you?"

"This about that trouble he's in?"

"Yes actually."

"Damn. Well, I'll see you guys this afternoon then."

"Thanks Jason, we'll look forward to seeing you."

Contrary to my expectations, Eric was actually quite excited when I told him Jason was visiting. I guessed as he wasn't going to have human friendships much longer, it made sense to enjoy them while he could.

There was much manly back slapping and shoulder punching when Jason arrived a few hours later. They hadn't seen each other in a few days, and I guessed that Eric had some needs which I couldn't satisfy all by myself. The simple human contact with another guy wiped all fear and loneliness from him, for a time, and my happiness for him wasn't overshadowed by the pang of regret I felt.

Of course, it only took a couple of beers for Jason to make me wish I hadn't invited him. For Eric's sake I didn't react to my brother's words, but it sure took some of the shine off the occasion.

"Shit Eric, I can't believe you're going man," Jason lamented, his hand on Eric's shoulder as they sat on the sofa watching some random sport on TV. "I never thought my sister would find herself a man as normal as you." The way he said 'normal' made it clear that this was a very desirable trait. He looked thoughtful, and added, "What's a guy like you doing with my weird sister anyway?"

I was glad I was idly flicking through a romance, and could pretend I wasn't paying attention. It sure hurt though, even though I had always known Jason was disappointed that his sister was so abnormal.

Eric looked taken-aback. "What do you mean, 'weird'? Why _wouldn't _I want to be with her?" His genuine surprise did my delicate self-esteem some good, though the happy feeling didn't last for long.

Jason looked a bit shifty, "Well, uh, you know. She's scared off every other guy who might be interested. Only vamps want to date her."

I peered over the top of my book, and saw the understanding dawn on Eric. I felt embarrassed and exposed, and cursed my brother's big mouth and casual cruelty.

Eric saw me looking, and his eyes met mine. He gave me a sad smile, and I so was glad I couldn't hear his thoughts. What if he was disappointed that I wasn't such a prize after all? I didn't want to know.

Eric steered the conversation away from the topic of my 'weirdness', suggesting that he didn't agree with Jason's assessment of me. But he didn't stand up for me either. He couldn't know what it was like to be 'crazy Sookie', and he couldn't understand how it felt to be reminded of that status. At least he loved me and appreciated me regardless.

As Jason was leaving, he promised he would visit me again soon, once Eric was gone. I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but at the same time I was almost teary-eyed with gratitude. I didn't think anyone else would be checking on me, except maybe Sam. It would be nice to have company, even if it was my idiot brother who thought I was a freak.

Eric told Jason he would see him again. Jason looked pleased at that – Eric did not.

I was left feeling rather subdued the rest of the afternoon. My brother's comments had hit very close to home, and had reminded me again what I was losing. 'Normal' men were scared of me, while supernatural men found me highly desirable – all because of what I was, not who. My Viking was the one man in the world who really wanted _me_.

Would he really change so much over the course of a thousand years that he was no longer able to view me as anything other than an asset to be manipulated and used? That's what I was afraid of.

That night, our last night together, I took special note of the tenderness in his eyes as he ran his hands over my body. I basked in his feelings of pure love and longing, feelings which I returned and tried to communicate with every stroke of my hands and brush of my lips. In my life I'd never had this before, and I was sure I never would again. My Eric was selfish, reckless, bloodthirsty and stubborn – but he offered me his acceptance and affection freely.

My mind was squarely back in the moment as Eric caressed my side and cupped my butt, pulling me into him. His mouth found mine again, and I tingled all over with pleasure and excitement. It was bliss.

He rolled on top of me, and I lifted one leg to hook around his waist. As I ground myself into him he groaned and nuzzled my neck. I panted and reached for him, guiding him to where I ached for him. With one smooth thrust he was in me, and I lifted to meet him as he moved above me.

I reached for his warm, smooth shoulders, and ran my hands over the contours of his back. I gripped his gorgeous ass and exalted in the feeling of him in me and over me and around me.

"Oh Sookie," he gasped a little while later, trembling and then collapsing on top of me.

He went still briefly, before giving me some extra encouragement to reach my own happy moment. Then he cupped my face and kissed me deeply, before rolling to the side and wrapping himself around me. He sighed in contentment, and I smiled sleepily.

As his eyes closed, and his breathing evened out, I studied his handsome face and thought about the fact that I would see him again – had seen him again – when he was a thousand years older.

I knew that when he met me again he would be a lot more experienced in every way, including in bed. I didn't feel at all jealous of the countless women he would be with after me. Considering I was losing the man I loved, and Eric was losing his life, the fact that he would have sex with a lot of women hundreds of years before I was born really didn't rate highly on my list of things to worry about. But I did wonder whether any of them would value him as I did, and if they would in turn mean anything to him. The idea of him having a thousand years of empty sex seemed terribly sad to me – though Eric might disagree.

I decided I'd had enough depressing thoughts for the night – I didn't want to spoil what had truly been an evening to remember. I reached out to turn the light off, and then snuggled up to Eric again, kissing him lightly and settling down to sleep.

I opened my eyes the next morning to see Eric lying on his side, staring at me intently. He looked very much like he was trying to burn this moment into his mind as a lasting memory, and his words confirmed as much.

"I am going to remember this," he said firmly, "your glorious naked body lying next to me. The heat from your skin and the way you smell, the soft look in your eyes." He reached out to stroke my hip, "the feel of you under my hands," he leaned in to kiss me, and pulled back again, "the feel of you under my lips. This will bring me comfort when my life seems very bleak."

He had such an open, sweet expression that it hurt to look at him. I couldn't honestly tell him that I would want to remember him like this when he was gone, so instead I distracted him, and myself, the best way I knew how, and we began that day the same way we'd ended the previous one.

Of course, we couldn't spend all day in bed. Neither of us was a vampire yet, with super human stamina, and besides there were other ways we wanted to spend our now very limited time together. Mostly we just talked, as we had every day since he'd gotten here – not about anything serious, but frivolous topics, such as which TV shows Eric would miss the most, and how I was planning on spending the next few days. It was nice having someone take an interest in my life.

It wasn't until it was beginning to get dark that the conversation turned to Eric's imminent departure. Without really making any firm decision about leaving, I had begun to cast around for where I'd left my car keys. Eric noticed my distracted state, and stopped talking in the middle of a description of one of his first Viking raids. As I began to move off the sofa, where we we'd been sitting together, he reached out and pulled me back. I turned to look at him, and he put his hands on either side of my face, looking into my eyes with a determined expression.

"Sookie," he began, his deep voice serious, "Now that I have this knowledge of what will happen to me, I'm going to do everything I can to avoid becoming a vampire. I know their weaknesses now, and I know not to be out by myself at night. I have some hope that I will be able to save myself."

"Of course," I agreed. I really hoped he could somehow escape his fate, but I doubted Eric's maker would be put off that easily.

"But if I do become a vampire," he continued, "I want you to know that I _will_ have you again. I'm not giving you up."

Then he nodded as though it were all decided, and released me.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I settled for half the truth. "I'd like that."

I would like to be with Eric, man or vampire. I loved Eric, and _I_ didn't want to give _him_ up either. But I didn't have much of a choice, the way things stood. The Eric I trusted would be lost to me after tonight, and as for the other Eric, well, I didn't know what it was exactly that he wanted from me. I wasn't at all sure that it was the same as the things I wanted from him.

By the time we were in the car, on our way to Fangtasia, it was full dark. Eric sat next to me, looking out into the night thoughtfully, his hand resting on my leg. He was wearing his Viking clothes, which I had carefully kept for this occasion. It was strange to think that when I returned home, I would be by myself. I couldn't believe that tonight was the night. The three weeks Eric had been with me had flown by. At the same time, it seemed like he'd been living with me for so much longer than that.

When we got to the bar, we approached the employees' entrance, as instructed. Eric stood waiting quietly as I knocked on the door. He'd been so relaxed most of the day, now though, I could feel that his fear was back again.

"Are you looking forward to seeing your family again?" I asked him, as a distraction.

"Oh yes," his face lit up, "I will have been much missed. My children will be very excited to see me again. There will be a great celebration on the evening of my return."

He was obviously eagerly anticipating being at home again, even if it was only for a while. I was so happy for him that he would have that much.

"What will you tell them?"

He shrugged, "I will say that I can't remember anything that happened to me. No one could possibly believe the truth."

Before we could continue our conversation, Pam opened the door, and all animation left Eric's face once again. Pam noticed of course, and actually looked almost sympathetic. But she was all business when she spoke to me.

"The witches are just setting up. You can both wait in Eric's office," and she stood aside for us to walk past, before following.

When we stopped at the door, Pam waited for human-Eric to look at her, and then she caught his gaze, staring at him searchingly.

"See you in a few hundred years," she said with a wry smile. I realised then that this must have been very weird for her.

Pam left us, and I knocked on vamp-Eric's door before pushing it open. As I stepped into the room, I stumbled and my breath caught in my throat. The terror that my Viking was feeling washed over me suddenly, overwhelming in its intensity. The minute he'd caught sight of his own vampire self sitting behind the desk, the low level of fear he'd been feeling all this time had risen up and taken him over. I turned to see him actually clinging to the door frame with one hand, and while he was clearly struggling to keep his composure, his wide, wide eyes showed everything he was feeling.

Without even thinking about it, I stepped closer to him and reached out my hand, wanting to offer my support. He immediately released the door frame and moved to my side jerkily, wrapping his arm around my waist. I in turn put my arm around him, and then we moved back into the room together, Eric taking hesitant steps.

When I turned to see vamp-Eric, I got the fright of my life. His expression was absolutely murderous, and he was staring straight at me. It was the strongest emotion I'd ever seen from him, and I had no idea why it was aimed at me. His fangs were out, and his face was twisted with emotion. There was no trace of his usual coldness; he was all burning resentment. He put me in mind of a cornered animal, a dangerous cornered animal – ferocious and vulnerable.

I spent a tense few seconds expecting to feel his fangs digging into my neck at any moment. My heartbeat was racing out of control, and my breath was coming in shallow pants. It was unbelievably weird to be feeling such strong protective urges towards the man standing next to me, while at the same time being in fear of my life from that very same man, sitting behind the desk across from me.

Then the moment passed. Vamp-Eric somehow snapped out of it, and his face closed down again. Whatever turmoil was going on inside was no longer visible on the outside. Now he simply looked very grim.

I had no idea what had just happened, but I realised with some relief that he wasn't going to kill me after all. I was absolutely sick and tired of dealing with death threats on what seemed like a daily basis at the moment. Maybe after tonight, I could stay away from people who wanted to kill me for a while.

Even so, I couldn't help but think that I'd be willing to put up with all the danger, if I could take my Viking home with me now.

I recovered from the whole episode quickly, but before I could speak to vamp-Eric, he stood up, nodded at me curtly, and left the room. I had no idea why he was going, when he'd be back, or what human-Eric and I were meant to be doing, so we sat down on the sofa together, waiting.

Eric wasn't really feeling any better, though he had tamped down his fear a bit. I was worried for him. Would he be in a constant state of terror right up until the night he met his maker? That would be awful. He deserved to have a happy time with his family and friends again, before his life as he knew it was ended.

I rested my head on his shoulder. "I so hope that you find some happiness, Eric. I've certainly had a lot of it, while you've been staying with me."

Eric's only response was to give my waist a quick squeeze.

His vampire self came back in then, and spoke abruptly. "The witches are ready."

I stood up carefully, wondering what would happen now. Human-Eric stood beside me and put his arm back around me, his hand clutching my waist, as I in turn hugged him to me protectively. I was loath to let him go.

He sounded painfully hesitant as he asked vamp-Eric quietly, "What will it be like?"

After a pause, vamp-Eric answered him, "Nothing you can't endure."

I could feel that this had a calming effect on human-Eric, but my reaction was quite the opposite. I felt chilled by those words, and my arm tightened involuntarily around my Viking. My eyes met vamp-Eric's, and his were narrowed and brooding as he looked back upon dreadful suffering. I couldn't imagine who or what had caused it, and I didn't want to.

Human-Eric, oblivious, spoke up again, his voice stronger now. "Will the witches be coming here, or must we go to them?" He looked at the office door expectantly.

Whatever vamp-Eric had been remembering, his mind was now firmly in the present again. His eyes were still locked on mine, however, as he answered his human self. "Neither. They don't require your presence to reverse the spell."

"They don't?" I asked, startled, "Then why...?"

I trailed off as vamp-Eric gave me a meaningful look, opening the office door again, and gesturing to me to follow him out. I was moving towards him when he looked past me and spoke commandingly.

"Stay here."

I looked back to see human-Eric looking frustrated and rebellious, but hanging back as instructed. I gave him a reassuring smile, and then stepped out into the hallway, wondering what vamp-Eric was going to tell me.

Vamp-Eric closed the door, leaned in close, and said to me quietly, "I have to glamour him."

"But he's not doing anything wrong," I objected, confused.

He shook his head in frustration, "I have to glamour him _to forget_," he clarified.

"What? _Why would you do that?_"

I stood staring at him in shock, my hands over my mouth, feeling sick. He was going to erase everything that had happened? My Viking wouldn't remember our time together? It would be as though he never met me, never loved me at all. It was too cruel. I shook my head in denial.

"Sookie," he spoke very reasonably, "I can't take the risk that he will fight my maker. And you know that when I first saw you, I didn't recognise you. I must have been glamoured."

I made a strangled squeaking noise behind my hands, and my eyes filled with tears. I couldn't believe this was happening, after everything. It was all I could do not to sob in front of him.

Eric took a step back, looking agitated. "You don't have to stay."

I dropped my hands, fisting them at my sides, and shook my head again, vigorously. I didn't trust myself to speak. He nodded as though he'd expected as much, and opened the door again. I almost ran back into his office, and flew into my Viking's arms. He was surprised, but hugged me back, crushing me to him.

"Sookie," said vamp-Eric impatiently, reminding me that our time was up.

I disentangled myself, and backed away slowly, wiping at my eyes furiously. By the time I focused on my Viking again, his expression had turned vacant, as vamp-Eric erased his memories, or gave him new memories, or whatever it was he was doing. I collapsed back into a chair, watching the man and the vampire, but not really seeing them. I should have left when I had the chance, but I wasn't going to go charging out now.

I felt numb. I had lost so much in my life, and there was nothing I could do about any of it. This latest loss was just another injury I'd have to recover from.

I barely noticed when vamp-Eric left the room again. His human self was standing in the middle of the office, a vague smile on his face, and there was no point in me saying anything more to him.

It could have been a minute or an hour, but after a time vamp-Eric returned, and I roused myself from my despondency long enough to stand. Eric had nodded to me meaningfully before leaning against the wall, so I knew that this was it.

My movement must have caught human-Eric's eye, because he turned his head in my direction. I searched his face hopelessly. He looked right through me.

Then he was gone.

No bright lights, or loud noises. No gradual disappearance. Just gone – blink and you'd miss it. With no hesitation, I walked through the space he'd just occupied, I walked out the office door, and I walked out of Fangtasia.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: **This chapter's a little shorter than usual, because I wanted to end the chapter where I did, and I wasn't going to add random bits just to add to the word count. I have yet again screwed with the SVM timeline a little, and I've also messed with the moon. Sorry.

I seem to be spending all my time at the moment flipping Darcy over, since she can roll one way, but not the other. She get's very screechy about it. It's cute though :D

Thanks for the huge number of reviews for the last chapter, I was pleased to hear you all enjoyed it so much, even though it a sad one. Thanks also to my beta, BathshebaRocks, for getting this back to me in record time.

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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I drove home on autopilot, clinging to the numbness I had felt while waiting for my Viking to disappear. I knew that there was a hell of a lot of hurt waiting for me, and I wanted to put it off as long as possible.

I arrived at my big empty house, and trudged through the front door and straight to my room. Then I got into bed, clothes and all, and just squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will myself to sleep. But the hurt reared up and struck me, and a terrible, mournful wail tore itself from my throat. There were no strong arms circling me and pulling me against a hard, warm body. It was just me and, feeling my loss as a physical ache, I curled into the smallest ball I could, wrapping my arms around myself tightly.

I did drift off eventually, but my sleep was shallow and disturbed. The first thing I noticed when I awoke, still feeling tired, was that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes to see Claudine lying on the bed next to me, looking concerned.

I couldn't muster a whole lot of shock that a woman I'd just met had turned up inside my house while I was asleep. I couldn't muster much in the way of feelings at all.

"Why are you here?" I asked her.

"I'm your-,"

"Right, my fairy godmother," I finished.

I guessed it made sense her being here then. I didn't ask why she wasn't here last time I had my heart broken – wow, twice in one month! – because apart from the fact that I hadn't met her yet, I also hadn't needed her. I'd had someone else to help me through it. This time, I was alone.

I sat up and then climbed off the bed. "I'm going to shower now," I told Claudine, "I have to go to work today." I wasn't being very hospitable, and I felt slightly guilty about it. Not guilty enough to act any differently, though.

"Go on then," She said with a smile, "I'll sort some breakfast out for you."

That surprised me, I wasn't used to supernatural creatures being, well, useful.

While in the shower, I thought about the day ahead of me, and wondered at the wisdom of going straight back to work. I had told Sam I would be at work that evening, because I couldn't afford to take the day off. As per our agreement, vamp-Eric – I cringed to think of him – would be paying for all the work I'd missed recently, but I didn't think I could charge him for today.

On the other hand, work might provide a welcome distraction. I didn't like the idea of being at home all day by myself, and I wasn't sure how long Claudine was sticking around for.

When I got to the kitchen, I saw that Claudine had set out a plate with a couple of pastries, obviously store-bought, and was sitting at the table waiting for me to join her. Ok, so it wasn't the sort of thing I was used to having for breakfast, but I appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks Claudine," I said before taking a bite.

I was glad she hadn't gone overboard with the food, because I really wasn't that hungry.

As the morning progressed, I realised I was really glad to have Claudine with me. While I went through my usual jobs, she chatted with me and kept me from moping, and she was quietly sympathetic without being condescending. She left not long before I had to go to work, and I found myself missing her company even in the short space of time I had before getting into my car to drive to Merlotte's.

Actually, it wasn't really _her _company I was missing.

My time at work was predictably awful. Sam was very concerned about me and tried to make my shift easier, but his solicitous behaviour really just reminded me of how bad I felt. I tried to act happier than I was, but I obviously wasn't very convincing, as I had to endure hearing a lot of theories in the minds of our patrons as to why I was in such a foul mood – some of them very creative. The bar was very busy that evening, and I just felt overwhelmed. The worst part was when I would catch myself mentally making note of events I wanted to share with my houseguest. It was a habit I'd formed over the past few weeks, which was pointless now, as I no longer had anyone to share my day with.

I was grateful to arrive home in the early hours of the morning, feeling exhausted and falling into a deep sleep immediately.

The next day was a repeat of the last, only there was no Claudine to keep me company, and I worked an earlier shift. I got home a couple of hours after dark, and I wondered how long I would need to keep myself busy before it was late enough for me to go to bed. I didn't bother to cook myself anything for dinner, since I had only myself to feed.

When I grabbed some leftovers from the fridge, the half-full bottle of 7up caught my eye. I took it out too, and poured what was left down the sink, since I'd lost my taste for it, and there was no one else here to drink it now.

I was just sitting down to my makeshift dinner when there was a knock on the door. My heart began to race as I had a pretty strong feeling that I knew who it was, and I had no desire to see him. Apart from my one slip up the morning before, I had deliberately avoided any specific thoughts about the man I'd come to love, or his vampire self. Seeing him now could only be painful.

I went to the front door and opened it, and sure enough he was standing there, just as I knew he would be, pale and cold and imposing.

"Eric," I said tonelessly.

"Sookie," he responded, "I came to deliver this," and he held out an envelope with my name on it. I knew there would be a cheque inside.

"Thank you," I took it, and waited for him to leave.

Eric continued to stand there, looking past me expectantly. I resisted my strong urge to be polite and invite him in. I figured I'd done enough for him recently. He could do something for me now, and stop hurting me with his mere presence.

His mouth tightened, and he spoke grudgingly. "May I come in?"

I might have cheered for the fact that I'd actually forced him to vocalise, but it wasn't what I wanted right then. I tried to give in gracefully, and stood aside for him to enter.

He went straight to the living room, and made himself at home on the sofa. I perched on a chair opposite. He had that expectant expression again, which gradually turned awkward as the silence stretched on. I didn't wait him out this time, since I wasn't interested in playing games. I hoped I could find out what he was here for and get rid of him quickly.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Of course," he answered, frowning.

"I mean, is everything back to normal now," I clarified, "you're not having any more problems with witches, or the queen, or anything like that?"

Now he actually smiled, and seemed to relax, "Business is running smoothly again, and my area is secure, yes." He paused for a moment, and then spoke again, "You were working today."

"Yes..." I wasn't sure where this was going.

"You enjoy working at the bar?"

I thought about my answer. It was complicated.

"Usually, yes. Sometimes it can be difficult though."

"Because of your ability?"

I found myself being sucked into the conversation, forgetting about how weird the situation was. Sitting there talking to him felt... familiar. I was actually feeling more comfortable than I had in two days.

"I try not to hear people, but thoughts do get through."

I remembered a particular incident I would have told human-Eric about, if he'd been there, "Today I was serving a married couple in their sixties, and the wife was thinking about her plans to host their youngest daughter's thirtieth birthday party, and her shopping trip to buy gifts to welcome their latest grandchild. Her husband was thinking that he'd soon have to tell her that he'd gambled all their money away, and they would have to move out of their house by the end of the month. He was thinking about killing himself."

Eric was apparently hanging on my every word. I knew he wouldn't understand why I'd found the situation so distressing, so I elaborated.

"I could have warned the wife, or tried to talk the husband out of it. Maybe I could have saved him. But then again, maybe he wasn't serious about killing himself, and it was just a passing thought he'd had because he was so stressed. Either way, no one would thank me for interfering."

"You don't want people knowing what you can do, because they would hate and fear you," he surmised, "You don't want to be treated as being different."

"Oh, people around here already think I'm strange, they suspect something's different about me. But you're right, I don't want to lose what little acceptance I have. Sometimes I feel like that makes me a terrible person."

While trying to organise my thoughts enough to continue, I yawned, and was reminded of how exhausted I was, and the fact that I hadn't even had a chance to eat anything yet. Jolted back to reality, I was struck by the realisation that I was sitting around discussing my troubles with Eric the vampire, when I hadn't even wanted to see him tonight.

"Eric, it's getting late, and I'm tired. I was just about to have my dinner when you arrived..." I trailed off, feeling bad now for hinting that he should leave, even though that's what I'd wanted when I'd first seen him at the door.

Eric looked at me very intently, like he was trying to read _my _mind. But when he spoke, he sounded very casual. "I'll come back again another time, when you are not so tired."

I gave him a crooked smile. "Sure," I said, feeling uncertain of his intentions, and doubting that I would see him again anytime soon, unless he needed my telepathy.

He seemed satisfied with my response though, and got up to leave. I saw him out, and as I closed the front door behind him, I realised that he'd had nothing to tell me of any importance, and nor had he asked me for anything. Was it possible that Eric Northman had simply dropped in for a chat?

I wondered whether it was a bad thing that I found myself hoping that he would visit me again.

I thought about him often for the first week after his unusual visit – it was a welcome distraction from thinking about the other Eric, whom I was still missing dreadfully. Each night I felt a strange mixture of anticipation and apprehension, imagining how I would feel seeing vamp-Eric again, and what we would talk about.

After that first week though, the incident drifted to the back of my mind, as I tried again to stop looking back on what I'd shared with the man he'd once been. I was trying desperately to right my world again, and to push back the loneliness I felt. Claudine dropped by on a few other occasions, and I talked with Sam at work more than I ever had before.

And of course, I had troubles other than my fragile emotional state to occupy me.

I was still concerned about Sophie-Anne, and whatever plans she had for me. And then there was Breandan, who wanted me dead. I had decided to ask Claudine about these two threats – I wanted to know what I needed to do to protect myself.

"Claudine," I began, as we sat in the kitchen together one morning, "When Niall first told me about you, he said that you were being sent to protect me."

"Of course," she replied.

"I need to know how far this protection extends – how safe, or unsafe, I am."

"Dear Sookie, of course there are no guarantees, but I will do my best to see that you're safe."

That wasn't really specific enough, so I pressed for more information. "I told Niall that I had a vampire problem..."

"Oh, you mean Sophie-Anne? Unless you're referring to the two dead men who want your attentions?"

"Ah, no. Sophie-Anne," I replied, after a very brief pause in which I imagined having my fairy relatives sort out Bill for me. "Can you – or Niall – do anything to stop her, if she comes for me?"

"It would really be best if it didn't come to that," she answered. "I'm rather hoping that if a problem arises, the threat of Niall's intervention will be enough to save you. But you will need to watch yourself, particularly around that psychopath Andre. I doubt that he's one to worry much about the consequences of his actions."

That wasn't as comforting an answer as I'd been hoping for, but it was something. I plunged into the next issue.

"And Breandan?"

She cocked her head, and looked deadly serious as she answered me, "He is very, very dangerous, and a particular threat to you. But he's not going to move against anyone Niall holds dear unless war breaks out between them. I hope to have some warning."

Again, less than comforting. Again, better than nothing.

Claudine proceeded to give me a few tips on how to prepare for a possible fairy attack, but there wasn't much to tell me. Not because fairies were easy to defend against, but because there wasn't much you could do if they decided they wanted you dead.

She didn't have anything at all to tell me on how I should go about being 'careful' around Sophie-Anne and Andre. I wondered if I would do better to ask the advice of a vampire, but I remembered how well my last discussion with Eric about Sophie-Anne had gone.

At least there was one thing I wasn't worried about at the moment, and that was my finances. The cheque Eric had given me was for quite a bit more than I had been expecting. I figured I'd earned it though, and I certainly needed it. It would give me some breathing space, for a while anyway.

It wasn't just my own personal problems that occupied me. Tara had come into Merlotte's recently with Micky, a vampire I hadn't seen before. He was terrifying, and the complete opposite of the vampire she'd been with last time I'd seen her. I couldn't figure out what she was doing with him, and I had a bad feeling about the situation.

Then there was Jason, the greatest source of my anxiety at that time. When I didn't hear from him for a week, I had to remind him that he'd promised to visit me. The full moon was coming up, and I really needed to talk with him about his possible were-panther status.

He came by one morning, two weeks after I'd last seen him, and we sat down in the living room together to talk.

"So... you doing alright?" He asked awkwardly.

I shrugged, "I've been better. But I'll cope."

"I liked Eric, a lot more than the last boyfriend."

"Me too," I agreed, smiling weakly.

Eric was far from perfect, but he had made a much better boyfriend than Bill, and not just because he hadn't seduced me on orders from his boss. I realised now that Bill and I would never have worked long term, even if his feelings for me had been genuine, and he hadn't left me for Lorena. With a bit more relationship experience under my belt, I knew there was some behaviour that I would never again accept from the man in my life.

Not that I was likely to have a man in my life again anytime soon, if ever.

"Jason," I began, moving on to the reason I'd asked him here, "I want you to get in touch with Calvin Norris."

"Wha...?" He gaped at me, "Where the hell did that come from, Sookie. What would I have to talk to him about?"

"You might need his help in a few days. He's expecting to hear from you."

"I don't understand."

I realised I was putting off telling him the whole truth, and it wasn't doing either of us any good. I pushed on.

"Were-panthers aren't just born," I spoke slowly and carefully, making sure he would take in what I was telling him, and think about it, "They can also be created. It's a bite that does it, though it's not a sure thing."

People often thought of my brother as stupid, including me, but he caught on very quickly. He raised the arm Felton had savaged, and yanked the sleeve down to stare at the healed wound. He shivered, as though he was suddenly uncomfortable in his own skin. I felt like I'd told him he had some terrible disease.

"What can I do?" He asked me urgently.

"You can only wait and see."

I wanted to comfort him, and I reached forward to put my hand on his shoulder, but he pushed me away violently, jumping up.

"Aargh woman! This is bullshit!"

He was thinking that he'd have to give up his whole life and move to Hotshot, and be part of some secret society. He was wondering if he could still have friends, and if this would affect his chances with women.

I got up too, worried that he would just run out on me.

"Just listen for a moment," I said reasonably, "You already know that Sam is a ... a bit like a were-panther. Does his life seem so horrible and different to your own?"

I was trying to address his concerns without making it obvious. He didn't need to have my telepathy rubbed in his face right at this moment.

Jason snorted, "Huh, yeah, 'cause I want to be just like Sam," He said bitterly, thinking that Sam had never seemed particularly normal to him. At the same time though, I could tell he felt a little calmer.

"I won't lie and say nothing's going to change for you, _if_ you are a were-panther now. But a lot of things will stay the same, too."

He collapsed back onto the sofa again, and hung his head, running his hands through his hair. When I sat next to him, he raised his eyes to look at me pleadingly, and let his breath out in a huff.

"What's it gonna be like Sookie?"

I was eerily reminded of another man asking that same question not so long ago. Or a thousand years ago, depending on your point of view.

"I honestly don't know much. You really should talk to Calvin," I encouraged him gently.

"That's not what I meant." He said, a bit testily.

My lighthearted, ever popular brother wasn't asking what it would be like to be a were-panther specifically, but what it would be like to be different, like I had always been. Of course, the way he put it in his head was a lot more derogatory, but I was used to that.

"It won't be like that for you," I assured him, "people won't know that something's off about you just by observing." I wasn't entirely sure about that, but I did know that being a were-panther would not affect him the way my telepathy did me.

He nodded curtly, not really understanding what I was saying. He didn't have any means of identifying just yet.

"And you're saying it might not happen? I could be just fine?"

"It's possible, but you shouldn't count on it," I answered him, not wanting to give him false hope.

"How do I find out for sure?"

"There's a full moon in a few days," I informed him, not knowing if he kept track of such things, "If you're a were-panther, you'll change then."

My brother was just shaking his head now, looking dazed. It was too much information for him, and he needed time to process. That was fine, I could give him that. I didn't need to push him to accept anything right now. He'd have time enough to think about what this meant for him after he changed, if he did change.

I gave him Calvin's details, and saw him out, giving him a quick hug at the door. I asked him to call me if he wanted to talk, and I told him I'd check in on him. Now I could only wait, filled with fear for my brother, wondering what would happen to him.

When the knock on my door came just after dark, two days later, my first thought was that it was Jason.

So I was completely taken by surprise when I opened my door and looked out, only to see Eric looking back at me. The sight of his long blond hair and handsome features which I knew so well made my heart jump – from pain, or pleasure, or both. I had been trying so hard not to dwell on my feelings for him, or at least, my feelings for his human self. Seeing him now brought all those feelings flooding back, and it was a terrible shock.

I trembled as I looked at him, my eyes boring into his as his expression went from serious, to startled, to heated. He took a quick step towards me and I reached out to him eagerly, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him towards me. He leaned down and I felt his lips on mine as his hands caressed me everywhere. I lost myself in the feel of his hard body, and his skilled hands, and his mouth moving over mine. His tongue brushed my lips and I parted them. His fangs ran out.

I stiffened.

I had known perfectly well that this was Eric the vampire, not my Viking. But swept up in the moment, I had allowed myself not to think about what that meant. My confused feelings towards him had overwhelmed my good sense for just a moment.

Eric picked up on my mood change, and his arms fell away from me, as he stepped back sharply. We looked at each other, and his mouth twisted.

I was sorry I'd offended him, but now that I was thinking clearly again, I wasn't willing to start anything with this Eric.

"Eric, I..." I wanted him to leave me be, for tonight at least, but I wasn't sure what to say. He must have thought he heard something welcoming in my voice, however, because he moved towards me again, looking determined.

I held my hand up, gesturing for him to stop. His chest bumped against my palm.

"Sookie," He spoke very firmly, "We have made love. We have lived together. You care for me." He waited for a moment, and when he didn't get whatever response he was looking for, he spoke again. "You are my... my lover."

I felt so frustrated. The last thing I wanted to do was spell this out, but I didn't seem to have any choice.

"That wasn't _you,_ Eric. You don't even remember it. It might as well have never happened."

I was trying to speak pragmatically, but I could hear the wobble in my voice as I touched such a sore subject. I stepped back into the hallway, and prepared to close the door, searching for a quick, polite way to get him to leave immediately. However much I wanted to slam the door in his face, it wouldn't be smart.

Eric growled, as frustrated as I'd ever seen him. He looked to be about to say something, then he hesitated, seemingly torn. Finally, he spoke.

"Sookie, I do remember. I remember everything."


	21. Chapter 21

Here it is! The last chapter, yay! Or not yay, I think I'll miss it. But I incorporated a lot of ideas I've been thinking about for a long time now, so that was satisfying. As per usual, I've messed with the timeline from the books a bit.

Darcy, who wasn't even born yet when I started writing this, is now a frighteningly mobile 6-month old. She's really got the rolling sorted, and she turns up in all sorts of odd places when I'm not looking. She's especially fond of playing with power cords, which is worrying. It's been fun to share her development with you all, and thanks for all your interest and kind thoughts about her.

Thanks also for your many, many reviews. There have been a lot of them, and they've been great to read. So I really appreciate you all following this story and letting me know what you think of it, especially those of you who have taken the time to review almost every chapter. Even those of you who read but don't review - I honestly don't mind, I do it myself all the time. I'm glad you've kept reading this, and I hope you've enjoyed it.

BathshebaRocks has done an especially thorough job this chapter, but she does an awesome job every chapter. I would never have started this story without her encouragement, and I wouldn't have the confidence to post each chapter without her reassurance that it does actually make sense to people other than myself. So thank you so much, my most excellent beta :)

And a special thank you to peppermintyrose also. Her very insightful reviews have had a huge influence on my story, and I can't rave enough about her brilliant LJ posts. I always have her observations about the books in mind while writing, so I have no idea how this would have turned out without her... Let's not think about it :)

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**Disclaimer: **Everything belongs to Charlaine Harris, I am just borrowing her world and characters for the purposes of this story.

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Out of everything I'd imagined he might say, I had never expected that.

I felt a surge of happiness so strong that it was a struggle to keep the goofy smile off my face. My heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. Here was proof that this vampire really was the man I'd loved. Here was my Viking come back to me.

But then I realised what he'd said. He wasn't telling me that he'd suddenly got his memories back as he was talking to me. He was telling me that 'he remembered' – as in he had already got his memories back at some prior point. And he'd kept it from me.

That was the reminder I needed that this _wasn't_ my Viking. This was the Eric who had forced me to work for him. This was the Eric who had deliberately put me in danger. He had threatened to torture me, threatened to kill me, threatened to kill my brother.

This was an Eric who would deliberately keep from me the fact that he remembered all we had shared.

I doubted he'd tell me why. Eric doesn't like to explain himself. I would think on it later, but right now I had to decide what to do about the vampire in question, who was waiting for some response from me.

I decided I was going to invite him in.

And it wasn't because there were things that I really, really wanted to know. I could have waited, and asked him later, or tried to figure them out for myself.

No, I found that as difficult as it was to be around this altered version of my Viking, it was worse to think of spending the evening alone when I didn't have to, going to bed early because all my chores were done and there was nothing on TV I wanted to watch. I had been looking forward to his visit, because I enjoyed his company. And now that I knew he remembered everything that had passed between us, that he really had been that man I had loved, I couldn't bring myself to turn him away, and shut my door on him.

I knew though that while Eric might have had other hopes for the evening, all I was willing to offer him was conversation. I wasn't sure that his revelation changed anything, and I was suspicious that he hadn't seen fit to mention it before now.

I moved so that I was no longer blocking the doorway, and Eric's posture relaxed. Then I told him "I'm not going to kiss you again," my voice a lot firmer than it had been moments ago.

"Alright," He agreed to my conditions, and then stepped past me.

I went to get him a bottle of blood, and then joined him in the living room. I was relieved to see Eric sitting in a chair, rather than on the sofa, as it saved me some awkwardness.

I had resolved not to ask him 'why', but there were other, safer questions I would have liked to hear the answer to. Having come to the conclusion that he had got his memories back earlier than tonight, I wanted to know when, and how, they had returned to him.

I settled on the sofa, and handed him the bottle. I watched him take a gulp, and put it down, and then I asked, "How long?"

"Less than a month," He answered without hesitation.

My eyes widened as I took that in. 'Less than a month' was a long time, and it seemed unbelievable when I thought back on all the times I'd seen him and he hadn't given anything away.

"So when I came to you about the witches...?"

"Yes."

That explained a lot. I didn't need to hear about all the other occasions we'd spoken, when he'd apparently known everything already. It was all coming together for me now anyway, and there were certain events I didn't want to bring up.

"How did this happen? You were glamoured, obviously it worked."

He had after all been telling me the truth that night at Fangtasia when he'd said that 'when he first saw me, he didn't recognise me'. It wasn't like he'd never lost the memories at all.

Now he did hesitate, and even sounded a little sheepish when he answered me, "It was when you told me you loved me, my human self anyway. That was when I knew that I should glamour him. I ensured that he would forget these events, until the time when he heard you speak those words, since that is when my memories returned to me."

I remembered that we'd had that distinctly uncomfortable conversation on the night of Andre's most unwelcome visit. Looking back to that time, I gasped and stiffened.

"_You knew about Hotshot?_"

I couldn't decide whether I should be afraid, because he knew how close I'd come to letting him get killed, or pissed off that he had known what would happen, and hadn't warned me.

He grimaced. "I knew a lot of things. It was very difficult not to intervene."

Of course, now that I thought of it, I could imagine how that must have felt. And I could understand why he'd chosen not to get involved, when he'd known that everything would turn out the way it had. But at the same time, it would have been nice if, for example, Debbie had never made it to my front door that morning.

Then I chided myself for thinking that. It wasn't very noble to wish that Eric, rather than I, had killed Debbie, to save me the anguish.

We sat in silence for a while, as I considered this new information, and Eric finished his drink.

"Are you alright?" Eric asked at last, and I didn't think it was my silence that bothered him.

"It's not all bad," I said, "I have good memories," and I smiled at him.

"Yes," he agreed, and he sounded very far away, "Yes, we were happy." Then his eyes snapped back to mine, and he leaned forward, "You told me that you enjoyed spending time with me. You confided in me. You trusted me."

I laughed nervously, "And look where that got me. I left you alone for a few hours and you almost got my brother killed."

I was deflecting, and we both knew it. He leaned back in his chair again, smiling slightly, holding my gaze.

My mouth turned down. I didn't want to talk anymore about the relationship we'd had. There was no going back to that. His lips straightened in response to my own mood change, and he spoke again.

Looking out the window, waving his hand towards the sky, he said, "The full moon is tomorrow."

"Yes," I agreed, waiting for him to elaborate. I didn't believe for one second that he was concerned for Jason, whatever friendship there had once been between them.

"Come to Fangtasia this week. Let me know how you are."

Now I leaned back into the sofa, taken by surprise. I didn't think I'd ever been invited to Eric's bar, just for a social visit. I was only ever summoned there so that Eric could put my telepathy to use.

At that thought my eyes narrowed. He barked out a laugh, but then sobered again immediately, and spoke very quickly, "Or I could come here, if you prefer."

Was he making a genuine offer, or was he asking for me to trust him? If that was the case, I didn't think he had any right to ask that of me, at this stage.

"I finish early day after tomorrow," I told him, "I'll be here, if you want to stop by."

I watched him carefully. A flicker of some emotion crossed his face, but he nodded his acceptance. He left not long after, and I thought it was probably the easiest encounter I'd ever had with him, despite the rocky start.

As much as I wanted to think about the situation with Eric, I was too worried about my brother that night to spare much thought for anything else. I went to bed wondering what the next day would bring for him, for us both.

The next evening I went straight to Jason's house after work. I hadn't been working the late shift, and it was still light, just. Calvin was picking him up so that he could spend the full moon at Hotshot, and I wanted to see him off, and have a chat to Calvin.

I knew as soon as I saw my brother's eyes that he was going to change. Calvin, who had been there before me, had exchanged a look with me as I got out of my car, which had also tipped me off. He looked more than a little wild himself. They would both need to leave soon, so I would have to make my visit a quick one.

I gave Jason a hug, and he went to sit in Calvin's truck, taking his overnight bag with him. He kept touching his face with a quizzical expression, but he hadn't figured it out yet.

I turned back to Calvin, and he fixed me with his other-worldly stare. "Your brother tells me you're without a man again."

I didn't think that was the most tactful thing to say to me, and I was cross with Jason for talking about my business like that. But I wanted to be polite, since Calvin was doing me and Jason a good turn.

"It's true that my boyfriend had to leave. Thank you for inquiring."

He nodded his head in acknowledgment, and then gestured towards Jason, "And that one won't be much of a help to you, not for a while anyway. He's got his own problems."

I pressed my lips together in displeasure, wondering what the point of this was, other than making me feel abandoned.

"Listen," He continued, "This isn't a good time to talk. But I just wanted you to know that you don't have to be without protection. You'll be welcome in Hotshot, if ever you need a place to go. I'll watch your back."

"Oh," I responded, taken by surprise. I sort of appreciated the sentiment though."Thanks, I'll remember you said that."

He looked around restlessly, and I could tell he was eager to be off. Then he focused on me again, with a visible effort, "I hope we'll talk again soon."

I smiled and nodded, trying to seem interested, without making any promises. However much I appreciated his sentiments, I didn't think I'd be taking him up on his offer.

He turned and loped towards his truck, giving a vague wave in my direction as he climbed in, and then he drove off, taking Jason with him. I hoped they got back to Hotshot before anything happened. I hoped that my brother was going to be ok, come morning.

By the following evening, my concerns had taken a completely different turn. Jason had left a rather garbled phone message during the day, but I'd managed to get from it that he had actually enjoyed shifting. I was sure his new life as a were-panther wasn't going to be all positives, but at least I could stop worrying about whether he could live with the change. My brother was going to be alright.

With my concern for Jason considerably diminished, my thoughts had turned to Eric. I was looking forward to seeing him when he visited again, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that. I didn't want to make the mistake of thinking that he could be my replacement for human-Eric. I also didn't want to start depending on his company, as I had depended on the company of my Viking. It was too painful to keep finding myself alone again.

I fixed myself an early dinner, before taking a shower and changing into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt – casual clothes, but nicer than my usual around-the-house outfits, since I was expecting company.

When I heard the car on the drive, I was pleased, but not overly excited. I hadn't truly doubted that Eric would show up this time. I was over being all shocked that he wanted to spend time with me. Maybe I wasn't going to take it for granted, but I might as well enjoy it while he was here.

After I'd answered the door and let Eric in, I went off to the kitchen to get him some blood. Once that was heated, I made my way back into the hall, and was surprised to see Eric standing in the bathroom doorway, his back to me. As I approached, he turned to face me, and leant against the doorframe casually, crossing his arms over his chest.

I didn't bother to ask him why he felt the need to inspect my bathroom. I just held out the bottle in my hand, and offered it to him, "Blood?"

"I'd prefer a shower," he said suggestively, raising a questioning eyebrow.

That startled a laugh from me, as much from relief as anything. I shrugged, "Go ahead, but your drink will get cold."

Then I turned around and walked off to the living room, figuring he'd join me soon enough. He didn't really want a shower, not by himself anyway. Actually, I didn't think he was serious in propositioning me either, though he would have hopped in the shower with me eagerly enough if I'd been willing.

I heard his footsteps behind me and I stopped for a moment, turning to hand him the bottle. He took it and nodded in thanks, and we both walked through to the living room. This time, he went straight to the sofa. I didn't want to over-think the situation, so I joined him.

His body was angled slightly towards me, his legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankle. He looked very relaxed as he chugged back his blood with every sign of enjoyment. He swallowed, and licked his lips, half the blood gone.

It was strange to think that just a short time ago – for me – Eric, the human version, was sitting not far from here, telling me how the idea of craving blood disgusted him. My Viking had been so terrified, so repulsed, by the idea of what he would become. So as much as I had wished I could save him, it was actually really good to see him as he was now, loving being a vampire, and proud of it. Yes, he had lost a lot of what he had been, to become what he was now. I may not think that it was a good trade. But Eric seemed to, and that was what counted. So I was happy for him.

Eric finished his drink, and I decided that I would start our conversation off this time. I knew why he'd come to check on me, after all, even if he hadn't spelled it out. He was here to find out about Jason – not because he was even slightly interested in what happened to my brother, but because he wanted to know how it affected me.

"Jason shifted."

He didn't have much of a reaction, just seemed to focus on me with more intensity, "And this ... pleases you?"

"No. I mean, I don't care what he is. Human or shifter, he's my brother. But I'm pleased that he's not down about it."

"Ah. I'm happy that this makes you happy."

Of course it would have been better if he had been happy for Jason. It was disturbing to think that I could have told Eric that Jason had shot himself in despair, and Eric's only response would have been to wonder how I felt about it. But at least he was willing to take an interest in things that interested me. That was... something.

"Well I'll have to wait and see how it works out, Jason spending time at Hotshot. There's Crystal and her boyfriend to worry about. But Calvin promised he'd look out for him, and I trust him. So I think Jason's going to be ok."

I didn't mention that Calvin had offered to look out for me, too. I didn't think Eric would be happy to hear it.

"Perhaps you should have let me kill Felton after all," Eric mused.

"I disagree."

He shrugged. "We're having a party next week. Would you like to come?"

"We?" I asked, feeling a bit giddy at the idea of being invited to a party.

"Fangtasia," he answered, and when I didn't respond immediately, he added, "We will listen to music, and dance together, and watch the entertainment. It will be a good night."

I wondered if I should be suspicious, but he seemed genuinely excited. And really, I wanted to go. It would be something out of the ordinary. It sounded fun. Plus, the idea of dancing with Eric gave me pleasant fluttery feelings in my belly.

I smiled at him, "Thank you, I'd be delighted."

He gave me a grin with a hint of fang to show his pleasure. I felt nervous, but pleased. I hoped I'd be able to find something to wear without spending too much of what I had left over from Eric's cheque. I was pretty sure I could arrange cover at Merlotte's, with a whole week's notice.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I asked him, "What's the occasion?"

"We are celebrating the birthday of Count Dracula."

He said it with a real sense of gravity, but the anticipation shining in his eyes reminded me for a painful moment of his younger, more innocent self. Then I was swept up in the story of who Dracula was, and why his birthday was such an important occasion for vampires. While Eric's hero worship unnerved me a bit, it was certainly an interesting discussion. I hadn't even known that there really was a Count Dracula.

When our talk about Dracula had come to an end, Eric uncrossed his legs and stood up. "I have to get back to the bar."

"Sure," I replied, looking at the time. He'd been here a lot longer than I'd realised, and I was feeling pretty tired. I got up too, and walked with him to the door.

Before leaving, he caught my gaze and said earnestly, "This has been good," and he waited expectantly.

"Yes," I agreed, "It was nice to see you."

I smiled. In that moment, I didn't care to think too deeply about the situation, or to worry that I might give Eric the wrong impression. I really had enjoyed spending time with him, and I wanted him to know it.

Eric bent to kiss me on the cheek, and then walked down off the porch and to his car. I watched him drive off before I went back inside, and got ready for bed. I reflected that it boded well for us both that this latest visit had been so relaxed, despite the memories we both had, the memories he hadn't wanted to tell me had returned to him.

Now I had a chance to think about the 'why' of his deception, and I was willing to reconsider my first impression. Oh sure, I had no doubts that, in part, he had kept the secret so that he could start a new relationship with me, on his own terms. By keeping silent on the issue, he could use his new knowledge to better manipulate me, without having to make concessions, or to treat me as he had when he was human: as an equal, with an equal say in the relationship. With Eric, there was always an ulterior motive.

But I could also see that, possibly, he had wanted me to choose to be with him because I liked Eric the vampire – not because I had loved Eric the human. Perhaps he wanted to know that I accepted him for who he was now, not on the basis of who he had been before. And I, of all people, could understand that.

I realised that this was something I had in common with him now, that I would never have had in common with human-Eric. And now that I had gained a little distance from that relationship, I could look back and question its viability.

Of course there was the fact that the supe world would have pulled us apart sooner or later. Eric, and our children if we had them, would become bargaining pieces, to be held over my head to ensure my cooperation. I knew that vamp-Eric himself had considered using such tactics against me. I had no doubts that, under a different vampire sheriff, my human family would be constantly in danger, and my life would be even less my own than it was now.

However, even in a make-believe world in which we had no such concerns, my Viking and I would have had problems. Yes, I knew that he had loved me without reservations, that he had loved me for me, and had had no ulterior reasons for wanting to be with me.

But he hadn't really chosen me. He was lost in a strange world, and I had offered him comfort. I had cared for him when no one else had. I would always treasure the memory of his genuine affection, and I would probably never have that assurance again, but had circumstances been different, I doubted that he ever would have chosen to be with me. And if our relationship had been allowed to continue, I didn't think it could have survived our differences.

It was in part human-Eric's normality that had attracted me, but he was just too normal. I had seen it in the way he got on so well with Jason. If he had stayed in Bon Temps with me, he would have become part of the community. He would have been popular and well liked.

Of course he wouldn't have broken up with me for being unpopular – I didn't think he was that shallow. But he would have had a lot of friends, and he would have been invited to all the social events, and I would have been his strange girlfriend who everyone hoped would stay at home. He would never truly understand why I didn't fit in, or why I couldn't go out with him much, or spend time with his friends. It would have caused a huge strain in our relationship, and if we'd been lucky, we would have gone our separate ways before we had children to think of.

It was easy to look back, and imagine that we had been perfect for each other, and would have been together forever, if only we'd had the chance. But the reality was that our relationship had relied on our isolation from the rest of the world, and it simply wouldn't have worked long term.

There were a lot things my Viking could have offered me, that vamp-Eric couldn't. Time spent together during the day, meals together, children. A normal life, without supe politics and frequent hospital visits. The certainty that I wasn't being manipulated. But there were other things, important things, that vamp-Eric could offer me, which his human self never could have. Understanding, common experience, an appreciation of what my life was like, and what I wanted out of it.

That didn't mean, however, that I was ready to throw myself into a relationship with vamp-Eric. I didn't have to be with someone, simply because they were my best, or only, option. I would rather be on my own than let myself be hurt again the way Bill had hurt me.

What it really came down to between Eric and I was trust. Was I willing to put my heart – and my life – on the line to be with him? I had trusted that Bill loved me, had never even questioned it, and that turned out to be a lie, a trick to gain my ability for his queen.

It would be a big risk, starting something with Eric. And I would never have any way of really knowing for sure whether he was being honest with me.

Of course on Eric's side, he would never really know for sure that I would want to be with him if not for my love of his human self. He would always know that, when given the choice, I had chosen the human version of him over the vampire.

Though most of the risks were on my side, we would both be taking a lot on faith.

I went to bed thinking that, as much as I liked Eric, and as thrilling as I found the idea of a relationship between us to be, I wasn't willing at this point to bet everything I had on him loving me. But I might not always feel that way – I would have to give the situation careful thought, and see how this new... friendship... between Eric and I progressed. Now that my life had quieted down again, I would have the time and space that I needed to sort out my feelings for him.

It was only just light out when I was woken by my phone ringing. I answered sleepily, wondering who would be calling at this hour, and why.

"Hello?"

"Sookie," answered Sam, sounding weird, "I'm in hospital. I've been shot."

My heart clenched with fear for him, and I choked out, "Oh my god Sam! How bad is it? Are you going to be alright? What can I do?"

"I'll live, but my leg's broken. I'm going to be away from the bar for a while..."

It wasn't much later that I got a call from Jason, telling me that Calvin had been shot too, and was in hospital with a serious chest wound. I realised that my life had just got crazy again.

Crap. I guess I wouldn't have that quiet time to think about my relationship with Eric after all. I'd have to wing it, and hope for the best.

Luckily, that strategy hadn't got me killed yet, so maybe I'd be alright.


End file.
